Wars Within
by punklau
Summary: With their children all grown up, AJ and Punk face new challenges, with some stemming all the way back to their younger days. (AU) Sequel to Paths & Always.
1. Halloween

**Halloween**

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys I thought I would carry on another sequel from my previous two stories. I think it's something different than the usual AJ and Punk narrative so hopefully you guys like it. I think there's some things that weren't touched on in the last two stories that can be revisited. So I hope you enjoy and thanks again for the reviews.**

* * *

"This sort of feels like borderline child abuse." Thea put her hands on her hips, watching as Dominic put three month old James in his Halloween costume, which was a dragon suit. It had a hood with ears and a tail at the end with spikes up the back. Jude had brought him it and insisted he wore it.

"I mean… isn't that the cutest dragon you've ever seen?" Dominic smiled, holding James who was trying to stay asleep whilst they fixed the costume on him.

"That is a cute dragon." Thea nodded with a smile, "My dad will pop at this for sure."

"We could take him round some houses and get some candy. Make some prophet out of him." Dominic teased.

"That's just weird." Thea shook her head, taking James from him into her arms, "I'm sorry we're doing this to you, little buddy." She whispered, feeling his tiny head on her shoulder as she patted his back soothingly.

Being a mother wasn't something she ever imagined herself doing. She supposed she'd always been a mother type figure to her sisters, especially Cassie, as they grew up. Certain things did come natural to her but becoming a mother certainly wasn't easy at all. The sleepless nights, having no sense of time anymore, the money and the necessities they needed. It was a lot. But it all seemed so minor when her love for her baby son was so unconditional.

"Are you putting your costume on?" Dominic asked her.

"No." Thea scoffed.

"What? Why not?" Dominic whined, "Your mom and dad are having a Halloween party. You can't just show up in jeans and a t-shirt."

"Yeah I can." Thea shrugged.

"This is your favourite holiday. Why don't you wanna dress up?" Dominic asked her as she shrugged, "Thea." He hummed as she walked over and sat on the edge of their bed, holding James in her arms as he fell asleep.

"So when I was looking for a costume, I… I went up a size." Thea said as Dominic folded his arms and looked at her.

"That's why you don't wanna dress up?" Dominic questioned.

"Well yeah." Thea nodded, "I know it sounds ridiculous but I just… I don't feel my best self right now." She said as Dominic sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry you feel like that." He nodded as she turned to him, "But… you're beautiful. Like, it's insane." He said as she smiled a little, "You had a baby three months ago and you look unbelievable." He said.

"You're just saying that." Thea mumbled.

"I'm really not, babe." Dominic said, "You're gorgeous. Always." He nodded as she smiled. He found it unbelievable that she had these insecurities when she was one of the most beautiful woman in the world to him. But he understood everyone had their own insecurities for their own reasons, he just wanted to help her through them.

"I did… get a costume." Thea nodded, "I just don't really wanna wear it."

"Why not?" Dominic asked.

"Well I always go as something cute. You know?" Thea looked at him, "Feels like I gotta tone it down now that I've got a baby." She shrugged.

"Says who?" Dominic shrugged as she smiled, "Your body, you dress however you like." He nodded, "I mean… let's not go too much cleavage out but, rock whatever you want." He waved his hand as Thea smiled.

"Ok." Thea nodded, "You take him. I'll go get ready." She said as he smiled and nodded.

"Ok." He said, holding their baby dragon for the night whilst Thea wandered away into their bathroom in their bedroom.

* * *

"Your parents really go all out for Halloween, don't they?" Dominic got out of the car as Thea nodded, looking at the house which was of course decorated in spooky decorations.

"Yeah, it's their favourite." Thea smiled. Her parents held a Halloween party every year for several years, inviting their family and friends. It was always a ton of fun, and this year was particularly special as it was James' first Halloween.

"You look incredible." Dominic nodded as she smiled, adjusting her eye mask and cape behind her whilst Dominic got James from his carrier, "Seriously." He said as she smiled.

"Stop." She smiled modestly, "But tell me more." She teased as he chuckled, walking towards the door of the house with her, walking on in to the packed house.

"Oh, so you two had these costumes planned?" Dominic watched as Jude appeared, dressed in a Supergirl costume whilst Thea had gone with Batwoman.

"We got them together." Jude nodded, "Oh, look at him." She sat her drink over, "My little dragon baby." She scooped James into her arms, "Look at the tail." She frowned at the cuteness as Thea smiled.

"He is cute." Thea agreed as Dominic smiled, "Where are mom and dad?" She asked.

"In the kitchen the last time I saw them." Jude nodded, "They're Morticia and Gomez."

"Oh, that's a good one." Thea nodded, impressed, "Where is Cass?"

"Out with her friends, apparently." Jude nodded.

"What? I wasn't allowed out with my friends on Halloween until I was eighteen." Thea shook her head, turning to Dominic and putting her hands on her hips.

"Do you really wanna question why that is?" Dominic smiled a little as she shoved him.

"Don't be cheeky." She warned teasingly as he smiled, "Ok, give me my dragon back." She nodded to Jude, taking James back into her arms and heading through to the kitchen where AJ and Punk were with a few other people standing around.

"Oh, what's this?" Punk looked over, noticing James was dressed up.

"Oh my God." AJ smiled, dropping whatever she was doing and walking over, "Oh, that is the cutest thing I've ever seen." AJ shook her head, looking on at James in his little dragon suit, sleeping in Thea's arms.

Being a grandmother was just like being a distant mother to her. She cared about James the same way she did her daughters. Any time they got to babysit or spend time with him, it was amazing. He was an adorable little thing, and even though being a grandparent made her feel old, it was such an amazing feeling.

"I demand he wears this every time he comes to visit." Punk nodded as Thea chuckled whilst Dominic was helping himself to some soda for he and Thea.

"Yeah, he does look cute, I know." Thea smiled. It was hard not to be won over by her little bundle, especially in the dragon suit of course, "I like you guys costumes." She nodded.

"Well I figured I already have the black hair." AJ shrugged, rocking a Morticia Addams outfit.

"I'm gonna steal this idea for next year." Thea nodded, "That dress just looks a little tight for me just now." She groaned to herself.

"Hey, you look great." AJ nodded to Thea specifically, "Seriously." She nodded as Thea smiled.

"So I have a bone to pick with you both." Thea said, "Well… mostly you." She nodded to AJ.

"What?" AJ laughed a little.

"I wasn't allowed out for Halloween until I was eighteen. Cassie is fourteen and she's already out?" Thea questioned, "How is that fair?"

"Think of it like this." AJ said, "I rank you girls responsible level from youngest to oldest. Cassie is the most responsible out of all of you. You… are the least."

"Mom." Thea gasped.

"Well would you deny it?" AJ questioned as Thea scoffed, turning to Dominic who just chuckled.

"It's favouritism." Thea nodded childishly.

"Yeah, that's what it is." AJ played along, "Cassie was just going out with a few friends. She texts me every now and then to let me know she's good, and she's to be back by 11." AJ shrugged.

"Favouritism." Thea whispered as AJ rolled her eyes, both of them turning to Punk who was eating some cake, "I thought you were on a diet, dad." Thea looked at him as Punk looked up.

"Can people stop saying that to me." Punk demanded, "It's Halloween." He shook his head like a child as AJ just smiled.

* * *

Later that night, the party was in full swing. Kids came by the door trick or treating, Punk was in the living room with Dean, Dominic and some other friends whilst AJ was in the kitchen with her two eldest daughters, as well as James who was asleep in his carrier.

"Do I look really fat in this outfit?" Thea asked them as Jude rolled her eyes.

"Would you stop asking that?" Jude shook her head.

"Of course you don't. You look great." AJ said, "Why are you asking that?"

"She went up one size and she thinks it's the end of the world. In fact, you actually look better now, you've got a better ass now." Jude nodded to her.

"So you're saying my ass is fat?" Thea turned to Jude as AJ watched them.

"No… well… it's a good size. It's better." Jude nodded as Thea groaned.

"Honey, you look insane for just having had a baby a couple months ago." AJ assured her.

"I just… I didn't think so much would change." Thea admitted, "Not just my baby but… my whole life." She shook her head, "Whenever I get a free moment to myself, I just wanna sleep." She shook her head, "Is that normal?"

"Of course it is." AJ nodded, "It's exhausting having a baby. But you adapt, and he'll start sleeping more, you'll find a routine again." She said, "The first few months are the craziest." She said, "You're doing so good." She said.

"You are." Jude agreed as Thea smiled.

She hadn't depended on her mother and sister as much as she had these past few months and throughout her pregnancy. It was such a new thing. Such a huge life-changing thing, and all she could do was seek assurance and advice that she was doing the best she could.

"Have you and Dominic talked about moving house again?" AJ asked.

"No, we left it at… let's just take things as they come right now. We don't need rush into it right now. He's also cut down his days working. He's taking weekends off so last weekend we went to the farmers market for the day. It was nice. I got a door mat." She nodded to them.

"Sounds lame." Jude nodded.

"Yeah and so does staring at boring art for hours." Thea bit back as AJ rolled her eyes.

Although she'd watched them grow into young woman who were extremely close, they still had that childish sisterly bickering side that would come out. But she was pleased to see just how close they were as sisters, and all the time they still spent together even after moving out and onto different things.

"I think it sounds nice." AJ smiled, "I'm glad Dominic is taking time off. He's just gonna exhaust himself and you both need time together with James."

"Well that's what I said." Thea nodded, "And he agreed. And apologised." Thea said, "I honestly think you lose your mind a little when you have a kid." She said, "It's all just been a little crazy."

"I'm super glad I just get to be fun aunt Jude." Jude nodded, standing up and walking over to the fridge as Thea watched her, noticing she was discreetly pouring wine into her cup.

"Jude, you can pour wine in front of me, I won't attack." Thea rolled her eyes.

"I am pouring it in front of you." Jude said.

"You're hiding behind the fridge." Thea said, "You know it just draws more attention to it."

"No, you're just looking at it like that." Jude said, closing the fridge over as Thea looked over at her.

In six years, she'd had two relapses. One small one and one very big one. Not something she liked discussing of course. It was still very difficult. She was still healing every day from all the pain she endured as a teen, and still very much healing since her relapses. She felt lucky to have a supportive family.

"How has dad been?" Jude asked, sitting back down at the table.

"He's been ok." AJ nodded.

"Still going to therapy?" Thea questioned.

"Yeah." AJ said as they both nodded, "He hates that you both worry."

"Well it's hard not to." Jude said as AJ nodded.

"I know. But he's doing fine." AJ assured them, "You want some of this cake we got?" She asked, standing up and bringing a Halloween cake over.

"Oh, yeah." Jude nodded.

"Why not." Thea rolled her eyes as they chuckled.


	2. Support

**Support**

* * *

"I'm kinda worried about Thea." AJ admitted, taking her ghostly pale Halloween make-up off, standing at the bathroom in their room as she looked on at Punk who was sitting his boxers on the edge of the bed.

"Why?" Punk asked, taking his socks off and putting them in the wash.

"I'm worried she's depressed." AJ shrugged, "It's common for new mom's. I mean I… I had it myself when I had Thea. I used to think it was just my circumstance at the time, in that disgusting little apartment." She shook her head, "But it can happen to a lot of new mom's." She nodded.

"Well has she spoken to you about it?" Punk asked her.

"Not specifically but things she says concerns me. She said she's sleeping all the time." AJ said.

"Well you do sleep all the time when you have a newborn." Punk nodded.

"It seems more than that to her, though." AJ shook her head, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid." She nodded to herself.

"Talk to her about it. Ask if she's feeling down." Punk suggested.

"I don't wanna insult her. You know what she's like. Barely takes anything by a pinch of salt." AJ said, "Maybe I'll talk to Dominic about it."

"No, I wouldn't do that. Because if she found out, she'd be even more mad." Punk said.

"Yeah, you're right." AJ nodded, watching as he was stretching his back, "Your back is still sore?" She asked him.

"No, it's fine." Punk winced as AJ rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it sounds and looks like you're fine." AJ nodded, walking back into the bathroom, "I told you, you need to go see a doctor. Get some physiotherapy for it."

"It just needs stretched every now and then. I can rehab it myself." Punk said.

"By going to work and lifting more heavy things?" AJ questioned, walking back out of the bathroom in her underwear as Punk watched, "It won't get any better if you keep irritating it." She said as Punk lay on his back on the bed, looking at her upside down.

"It's just a pulled muscle. I get them all the time working on the docks." He said as she put her sleep shorts on and a t-shirt.

"Well don't you moan to me when you really hurt your back." She said, smacking his face with a cushion as he chuckled.

"I'll be fine." He sat up, watching as she pulled the duvet down, getting into their bed as she took a good natured sigh.

"It was a good turnout for the party." She nodded, taking her earrings off as he nodded, getting into bed beside her.

"It was." Punk nodded, "I can't get over James' costume." He shook his head.

"Oh, I know." AJ smiled to him, sinking down into the pillows, "He's just the best."

"He is." Punk agreed.

Although now being grandparents made them feel old, they were still both in their mid-forties. The plus side to having their children so young, was now they were growing up, they had some more time on their own. Even Cassie was beginning to venture off to staying with her friends for the night, which meant they got the house to themselves, which was rare for the past twenty-eight years.

"I just hope Thea is ok." AJ nodded with a sigh.

"Talk to her." Punk said, "If it'll ease your mind."

"I just don't want to see her struggling in silence, that's all." AJ said, "Having a baby is… it is stressful. Look at when Thea was a baby. How much our lives changed completely."

"I know but we… we learned as we went." Punk nodded, "It's overwhelming but she'll be ok." Punk nodded with confidence.

"Oh, I know she will. But I just worry about her." AJ sighed.

"I know you do." Punk understood.

"They were asking if you were still going to therapy." AJ told him.

"Who?" Punk asked.

"Thea and Jude." AJ nodded, "I told them yes. I'm worried that if I tell them you've stopped going, that they'll worry more."

"Well I told you I don't need it anymore." Punk shrugged.

"I know. I know, that's your decision." AJ nodded, stroking under his chin sweetly, "They just worry."

"I wish they didn't." Punk shook his head, "I'm fine." He shrugged.

"I know but it's only natural." AJ said as Punk nodded to himself.

"Maybe you should tell Thea we'll babysit James for the night. Give her and Dominic the night off." Punk nodded to her.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." AJ nodded.

"But only if he comes in the dragon outfit." Punk said as AJ chuckled, nudging him playfully as he smiled, "What? It was cute as hell."

"It was." AJ agreed, "He's a little sweetheart." AJ smiled.

In the six years that had gone by, a lot had definitely happened. Their eldest daughter's had both moved out. Jude was at art school, living the student life whilst living with a friend in an apartment, whilst Thea had fully qualified as a full-time doctor in a hospital, gotten married and also had a baby. Cassie was still growing up in her teenage years, which gave her and Punk time to focus on her and being there for her in these crucial years.

But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Like any family, with the ups came the downs.

"She was complaining about her weight too." AJ nodded to Punk.

"Who?" Punk shook his head.

"Thea." AJ said.

"What weight? She's built like you." Punk shook his head with confusion.

"Apparently she's gone up a size." AJ nodded, "Which, look, I know seems ridiculous and so minor but… that can be a big deal to people, especially new mom's." AJ nodded, "She keeps saying she didn't realise just how much would change."

"We felt the same." Punk said, "Every new parent feels like that." He said.

"Yeah, I know." AJ nodded, "I still can't believe it sometimes." She shook her head.

"Me neither." Punk said, running his hands through his hair.

He felt nothing but pride upon seeing his daughter's succeed and shape their lives. It was tough to let them go and flee the nest, but worth it when he saw how happy and good they were both doing. It also brought him closer to Cassie, and also gave him more time to spend with his wife. They had date nights, they went on mini vacations and getaways. It was a very peaceful life. But there were always struggles beneath the surface. For all of them.

"She also told me that they're not looking into moving house now." AJ nodded.

"April, you are one big fat gossip." Punk said as AJ gasped.

"No." AJ gasped.

"Yes." Punk gasped equally the same.

"Hey, it's our job to talk about them." AJ scoffed as Punk chuckled.

"I didn't think they'd actually consider moving right now." Punk nodded, "Sounds to me like Dominic was just panicking. They talked it out and moved on." He shrugged.

"Yeah, and he's cut down his shifts. Taking weekends off now. Which I think is great. It's important he's there to help her with James." AJ nodded.

"Of course it is." Punk agreed.

"How glad are you that we decided to tidy the place up before we came up to bed?" AJ smiled, cuddling into him, wrapping her leg over his as he smiled.

"Yeah, that would have been a nightmare to wake up to." Punk said as she nodded, leaning up and kissing his neck as he smiled.

"Means we can have a lie in." She smiled, climbing over his body as he looked up at her.

"My bad back doesn't let me lie in." Punk reminded her as she smirked.

"Is there anything else it doesn't let you do?" She smiled, leaning back down and kissing his neck as he chuckled a little.

"No, I'm good in all the other departments." He assured her, tilting her head round and kissing her lips passionately, taking the hem of her t-shirt and lifting it off, pleased to see she had no bra on.

She smirked as he cupped her breasts, kissing down his chin and down his body all the way to his boxer shorts which she pulled down to free his length. She wrapped her hand around his length, stroking him up and down before using her mouth on him.

"Fuck." Punk ran his hands through his hair, rolling his head back a little as he felt her velvet mouth glide up and down his length.

AJ made sure to keep her eyes on him, watching as he looked down at her, his face so relaxed with pleasure which only turned her on further, taking his length all the way in and back out.

"Fuck, baby." Punk groaned, bunching her hair back from her face as she released him with her mouth, using her hand on him and smirking up at him, "Come here." He nodded as she smiled, climbing back up his body, about to settle on his length when he pulled her hips further up, "No, keep going." He nodded, pulling her all the way up until she was sitting on his face.

She pushed her shorts and panties off, straddling back over his mouth as he wrapped his arms around her hips, pulling her in as much as he could, as if starving for it.

"Oh, yes baby." AJ whispered, feeling his tongue amongst her parted folds, rocking her body towards an orgasm the way he only could. She was convinced they both knew each other's bodies better than themselves. This part of their relationship had never, ever been a problem. She didn't know if that was a reflection on what kind of people they were, but there were definitely no issues in this department.

She felt him tangle his hand round, stroking her clit at the top whilst using his mouth below, the combination being enough to catalyst her orgasm ten full. She placed her hand on the wall, continuing to moan and beg as he pushed her over the edge.

"Fuck." AJ moaned, riding out the high, her legs shaking a little around his head as he paused to take all of her in, "Shit." AJ panted, leaning her forehead on the wall as Punk kissed the insides of her thighs.

She shifted back down his body, meeting his lips with hers and kissing him passionately as he kissed back, "I'd sit there all day if I could." She moaned as he chuckled.

"I wouldn't be oppose to that." Punk assured her as she smirked, feeling him roll her over onto her back, settling between her legs as she parted them and watched him enter her glistening folds.

"Fuck." AJ moaned, rolling her head back as Punk smirked, leaning forward and kissing her neck as she cupped the back of his head and circled her legs around him, feeling him thrust in and out, hitting all the right places, sharing some intimate time like they did most nights.

* * *

"He's finally asleep." Dominic whispered, coming downstairs and into the living room where he noticed Thea had fallen asleep on the couch.

He smiled softly and reached for the blanket on the opposite couch, shaking it out over her body and adjusting her head on the cushion to make sure she was comfortable.

He then crouched down and kissed her head, brushing her hair out of her face. He knew she was exhausted and overwhelmed by this new change in their life, but when he saw her with James, he knew just how deeply she cared for him and how much love she had for him. They were learning together.

It hadn't been an easy six years. They'd both relapsed. They'd broken up. Convinced each other it was better they went separate ways, but somehow they always found their way back to each other. Not in a toxic way, but in a way that they just needed each other for the support and the guidance.

"Oh, do I gotta feed him?" Thea woke up suddenly, sitting up as Dominic shook his head.

"No… no, he's asleep." He said softly as she looked at him tiredly, "He's fine." He assured her, "You'd fell asleep here."

"Oh." Thea realised, brushing her hand through her hair, "Sorry." She shook her head.

"You're fine." Dominic assured her.

"I don't even realise I'm doing it." Thea shook her head as Dominic smiled.

"Me neither." Dominic agreed, "For someone as small as him, he really does tire you out."

"Tell me about it." Thea nodded, "Is this what you imagined it'd be like?" She wondered as he sat down beside her.

"I knew it'd be hard, tiring, messy and everything in between." Dominic said as Thea nodded, "I'm just glad we get to do it together."

"Me too." Thea smiled, "And I don't even care because when I hold him, it's like… I'd stay awake forever just to make sure he's got everything he needs." She nodded as he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Dominic said, "I think we're doing ok." He shrugged as she smiled.

"I won't lie to you… I don't feel my best self right now." She nodded, "And I feel like when I say that it's coming off as me not… not wanting to be there for him or be a mom. It's not that." She clarified, "It's just a feeling." She shook her head as he nodded.

"You think maybe you should talk to someone?" Dominic asked her.

"Maybe." Thea nodded, "The health visitor is coming in a few days to check on him so maybe… maybe I'll bring it up."

"I think it's important that you do." Dominic nodded, "And talk to me about anything on your mind." He said, "Those feelings will go away at some point. You won't feel the way you're feeling forever." He reminded her as she nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Thea nodded, "I just thought this would all be more perfect." She shrugged.

"No one is perfect at this, babe." Dominic shook his head, wrapping his arm around her as she curled into his torso, "But we can try." He nodded as she smiled, pulling the blanket over them.


	3. Temptation

**Temptation**

* * *

"If you need anything just call." Thea nodded, passing James over to AJ in the living room, "He's fussy with his last feed at night, right?" She turned to Dominic who nodded, "So just leave him be. If he wants more he'll cry for it I'm sure, because he loves to cry." Thea smiled sarcastically, leaning over and stroking James' cheek.

"You remember I've had three children, don't you?" AJ looked at Thea who nodded, "Just relax." She advised as Thea took a deep breath and nodded.

"What are you doing with your night?" Punk asked, taking the bag which Thea had packed from James from her.

"We have reservations for dinner and then we're going to the movies." Dominic nodded.

"That sounds fun." AJ smiled.

"If there's anything wrong you'll call us, won't you?" Thea nodded to them both.

"What would go wrong?" Punk asked her, "Me and your mother know how to take care of a baby." He assured her as Thea nodded. She knew that. She had full confidence in her parents. In fact, there was no one she trusted James with more, but she was still going to worry.

"Ok." Thea nodded to them, "Well thank you for this. We really appreciate." She said as Dominic nodded with her.

"Well you deserve a little break." AJ smiled, "Plus, I'd have this little munchkin staying with me every night if I could." AJ smiled, looking down at James.

"I thought I demanded he show up in the dragon outfit from now on." Punk folded his arms as Thea rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's a no from us." Thea nodded, "Where is Cassie?" She wondered.

"Soccer practise." Punk said, "In fact… I gotta leave to pick her up soon." He looked at the clock.

"I hope he doesn't keep you all awake during the night." Thea sighed.

"Baby, stop worrying." AJ advised, "Go and enjoy your night. Take a breather." She nodded.

"Ok." Thea nodded, "Ok, well be careful with him." She nodded jokingly, leaning down to give James a kiss, "Because I kinda like him." She teased, kissing the baby boy's cheek as James grabbed a hold of her hair, making the cutest little baby noises.

Dominic also kissed his son goodbye before they both left, leaving their son in the hands of his grandparents for the night.

"I thought they'd never leave." Punk scoffed, walking back into the living room where AJ was sitting with James.

"Bless them." AJ smiled, "He looks like he's gonna sleep." AJ nodded, looking at James whose little yes were heavy, closing every now and then back and forth.

"Been a while since I've saw you with a baby." Punk said, watching sweetly as AJ looked on at James.

"Fourteen years." AJ nodded.

"Twenty-one." Punk corrected as AJ looked up at him, "For me." He reminded her as she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah." She realised, looking across at him as he nodded.

"Long time." Punk nodded.

"Yeah." AJ said. She hadn't even thought about how long it was since there had been a baby in the family for her husband. As the years went on, she did tend to cast aside the fact he had missed a huge chunk of Cassie's life. The first eight years. No one would have thought because of how close he and Cassie were, but she knew it still hurt him.

"I hope they enjoy their night and relax." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, me too." AJ said, "You should go pick Cass up from her practise."

"Yeah." Punk looked at the time, "Ok. You need anything from the store whilst I'm out?"

"No, I think we're good." AJ said as he nodded, leaning down and kissing her head as she smiled.

* * *

"Do you think he's ok?" Thea questioned, sitting at dinner with Dominic. She'd barely even glanced at the menu since they got seated. All she could think about was James and what he was doing. If he was crying or if he was fussing.

"Of course he's ok." Dominic nodded, "He's in no better hands than your parents." He said confidently as Thea nodded, "You don't gotta worry or feel guilty." He assured her as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Thea sighed, "I know. This… this is nice." She smiled to him as he nodded.

"I wanna ask your dad how he's doing but… I know he hates drawing attention to himself." Dominic admitted, "He seems to be doing much better."

"I think he is." Thea nodded, "Mom said he's still going to therapy so that's a good thing." She said, "I still feel guilty for not… for not even noticing."

"Well he was good at hiding it." Dominic nodded, "Do you think it was all just to do with prison?" He asked her as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, probably. That's what he said." Thea nodded, "But let's be honest, my dad hasn't had the easiest of lives." She said, "Sometimes you just break. Right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Dominic nodded.

"He seems to be doing better now." Thea nodded with relief, "Truthfully I think James helped him. He was so excited for us. I think it gave him something positive to look forward to." She said.

"Yeah, definitely." Dominic said, "It's hard to imagine being locked up for eight years." He shook his head.

"Yeah, looking back I feel selfish that I made it all about me." Thea nodded, "I never even thought about how difficult it had to have been for him." She shook her head, "And Jude always told me she worried about him. Worried that he never spoke about it or really acknowledge the past eight years." Thea said, "And I was just… I was always caught up in my own feelings." She shook her head.

"No one is holding that against you." Dominic shook his head, "Certainly not your dad."

"Yeah, I know." Thea said, "I'm just glad he's doing much better. And I know my mom is super relieved. She was really worried about him."

"They two have been through it." Dominic nodded, reaching for a breadstick as Thea nodded, "Not most people make it through half of what they have."

"I guess they love each other." Thea nodded, "I went through a phase of thinking they didn't. Especially when my dad was gone. I always kinda hoped that she would find someone else but… I'm glad she didn't." She said, "At the end of the day, we all head each other. Even if we were all falling apart. We still had each other, we still had our home and our freedom." She said, "He had… he had nothing." She said as Dominic nodded.

"I remember when we first met, you were so sure you weren't gonna fix your relationship with him." Dominic said.

"I thought I was." Thea said, "I thought I was better off without him." She nodded, "But that turned out to be one big lie I was telling myself." She said, "They've helped me… us… more than I can imagine these past few years."

"Yeah, they're good people." Dominic nodded as she smiled, "I'm glad James has at least one set of grandparents." He said as Thea smiled.

"Yeah, me too." She smiled sweetly, reaching over and taking his hand just as the waiter came over.

"Can I take your order?" The waiter asked as they nodded.

"Yeah, I'm gonna do the filet, six ounce, please." Thea nodded, "Medium." She handed her menu over.

"I'll do the same." Dominic smiled politely, handing over his menu.

"Would you like to see the wine list?" The waiter asked as Thea looked up at him.

"No, we're good, thanks." Dominic said as the waiter nodded, walking away as Thea looked over at a couple across the restaurant, watching as the woman raised her glass of wine to her mouth, sipping it. In a way, she could almost feel it going down her own throat, "Thea." Dominic got her attention.

"Huh? What?" Thea turned around, "Sorry." She shook her head.

"You ok?" He nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled as he nodded.

* * *

"This is your mom." Punk said, "And this is your mom." He pointed, standing in the living room later that night, holding James in his arms as he went around showing him the different pictures of Thea which were around their living room. Mostly graduation pictures as time had passed by.

"And this is aunt Jude." He pointed, "And aunt Cassie." He hummed, "I know, it's a lot of women." He nodded, looking down at the baby boy who was fast asleep.

"How is he?" AJ asked, walking into the living room.

"I'm gonna go put him down in the crib." Punk nodded to her as she smiled and nodded.

He left the living room and headed upstairs, walking into the spare bedroom which used to be Jude's old room, putting James down in the little portable crib they'd gotten for him, for whenever he was staying the night.

"There you go, kid." Punk smiled as Cassie came into the room.

"Is he asleep?" Cassie asked, walking on over to the crib as Punk nodded.

She'd definitely grew up very different to how Thea and Jude had grown up. Not just because of the age gap, but due to everything that had gone on too. She was at an age where she was starting to question things a little more.

It was always very different to be an aunt so young. To have both her older sisters moved out of the house before the age of fifteen. She wasn't sure if she loved or hated it.

"He's cute, right?" Punk smiled to her.

"Well… I can't exactly say he's ugly, can I?" Cassie teased, folding her arms as she looked down at James, "He is cute." She nodded, "But I don't think he looks like Thea."

"He does a little. He's got her eyes." Punk noticed.

"It's weird that he's here. I'm like…. I'm just as close to his age as I am to Thea's." She laughed a little as Punk smiled and nodded.

"I think that's secretly a good thing." Punk nodded, "Jude thinks she's the fun aunt but… it's gotta be you." He assured her as Cassie smiled.

He still wasn't quite recovered from all the time he'd lost with Cassie, but over the past few years he'd really gotten to be there for her in ways he always wanted to. He got to watch her grow into a teen, go through high school, which were things he pretty much missed out on with Thea and Jude. He was very close to Cassie, especially since his two eldest daughters were pretty much off living their own lives now.

"Will he cry during the night?" Cassie asked, "Thea keeps saying he always cries but he's barely cried all night." She said. She'd gotten to feed her nephew earlier which was, of course, a pretty nice experience.

"You know your sister. She takes things and makes it sound five hundred times worse." Punk nodded, "He might be a little restless but me or your mom will get him." He assured her, "Unless you wanna volunteer." He teased.

"Hell no." Cassie shook her head as Punk smiled.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Punk hummed, reaching over for the baby monitor, "You wanna go watch a movie?" He asked her as she nodded.

"Yeah, I think mom has popcorn." Cassie said as Punk nodded.

"Ok. No interrupting our movie." Punk said, looking down at James with a smile as Cassie chuckled a little, leaving the room as Punk followed behind her, closing the door over.

"Mom's probably ate all the popcorn just watching the trailers." Cassie said as Punk gasped.

"Oh, I'm gonna tell her you said that." He said, wrapping his arm around her as she chuckled, heading downstairs with him.


	4. Worry

**Worry**

* * *

"Morning." Jude smiled, walking into the house as AJ opened the door.

"Morning." AJ nodded, "What are you doing here?" She asked, noticing Jude had her laptop and books, as well as a coffee she had grabbed on the way to the house.

"Well Kirsty has a friend over at the apartment, a guy friend." She told her mother who nodded, "He was there last night and apparently he's staying for breakfast." She said, "And I couldn't concentrate." She explained.

"I see." AJ nodded.

"I was gonna just go to Duke's coffee shop but then I remembered you guys were babysitting last night so I wanna see my little guy." Jude said excitedly, rushing on through to the kitchen where Punk was feeding James, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Look, it's Aunt Jude." Punk looked down at James, "Who spends more time here now than she did when she actually lived here." He said, looking up at Jude who just made a face at him.

"Don't pretend you don't love it." Jude said, sitting her things down on the kitchen table, "Has he been causing chaos?" She smiled, looking over at James.

"He's been really good." Punk nodded as AJ came into the kitchen, "He woke up a few times during the night but he was fine." He said.

"When is Thea picking him up?" Jude asked, sitting down at the table, already sprawling all her work across it, making herself comfortable.

"She said afternoon time." AJ said, "You had breakfast?" She asked her daughter.

"Oh, no… I'd love some." Jude nodded as AJ smiled.

"So why are you here?" Punk asked her.

"Kirsty had a friend over last night." Jude explained again, "A guy friend." She said, "And it sort of carried into the morning and I couldn't concentrate." She said as Punk nodded, "Plus I wanted to come see James." She smiled.

"You're always welcome to come here, babe." AJ assured her as Jude smiled.

"Where is Cassie?" Jude asked.

"She's at school." Punk said.

"Oh, yeah." Jude shook her head, "Was she mad he woke her up?" She smiled a little.

"No she slept through it." Punk said, "She fed him this morning before she went to school."

"Sweet." Jude smiled, "Well I hope Thea and Dominic had a good night off."

"Me too." AJ agreed, "God knows you need it with a newborn." She nodded, "Here you go." She sat down some breakfast for them.

"Thank you." Jude smiled gratefully, "Where are you going?" She noticed her mother getting her coat on.

"That little thing called work." AJ said, "I tried to get the day off but the best I could do was just start a little later." She nodded.

"Oh, that sucks." Jude said as AJ nodded.

"Just tell Thea and Dominic that he was good as gold." AJ smiled as Punk nodded, "And I'll see you later." She said, leaning over and kissing Punk before planting a kiss on her grandson's head, "You be good, little man." She said, stroking his cheek softly.

"Have a good day." Jude said.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart." AJ nodded, giving her daughter a hug before getting her car keys and heading out.

"You're in all your glory, aren't you?" Jude nodded, watching Punk.

"Hell yeah." Punk nodded, "This little guy has my heart." He said as Jude smiled, "I finally have a little buddy that won't leave hair appliances on the floor for me to stand on." He smiled happily as Jude chuckled.

"Do you think he's helping?" Jude asked curiously, sitting her work aside for a second.

"Helping with what?" Punk asked curiously.

"You know what." Jude looked across at him as he stared at her.

"Oh." Punk nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, of course he's helped. Gives me something positive to focus on, right?" He shrugged as Jude nodded, "But I'm fine." He assured her.

"You can talk to us, you know." Jude nodded, "We're all worried about you."

"Yeah and that's exactly what I don't." Punk said, "Trust me. I'm fine." He nodded, "Everyone has… rough patches." He shrugged.

"Please don't downplay it. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You never had it easy." She said as Punk looked across at her.

From the day he stepped out of prison, Jude was a consistent support system. He wasn't saying that his two other daughter's and wife weren't, because of course they were, but Jude was a lot more confident in asking him questions that perhaps the others were too scared to ask. And he appreciated that. He always had.

"I'm not downplaying it, Jude. I'm just trying to move on." Punk assured her.

"Are you still going to therapy?" Jude asked him.

"Yeah." Punk shrugged as Jude looked at him.

"Do you think I'm dumb?" Jude looked at him, "I know a lying face when I see it." She said.

"Ok, so I don't need it anymore. I'm doing fine on my own." Punk shrugged as Jude looked across at him, "Look, I don't want you girls constantly worrying about me. That's why I didn't really wanna bring it all up-"

"And look what happened, dad." Jude said, "You don't have to hide things from us, we're your family. Screw whatever macho bullshit mentality you think you have to live up to." She said as Punk looked across at her.

"Jude… I'm ok." Punk assured her, "It just caught up to me, and I know now that it's not going to go away. So I gotta learn to live with it. Learn to live with all the time I lost. All the things I missed. Live with the nightmares and the anxiety." He said.

"Yeah but living with it and suffering with it are different, dad." Jude reminded him, "Please don't suffer with it." She shook her head.

"I'm not." Punk assured her, "I'm ok." He nodded. He did feel lucky to have such an amazing family that did care to extreme extents, but he did feel a whole lot better. He wasn't just saying it to avoid the questions.

It had started off with mini panic attacks. He wasn't quite sure what it was, at first he thought he was having a heart attack. He tried his best to keep them hidden from his family. If he ever felt one coming along he would excuse himself from the room. It frustrated him that there was no warning sign for them.

Then the nightmares started to enhance. They'd always been there anyway, but they began turning into night sweats, which lead to him refusing to sleep at times, which only worsened his levels of anxiety and paranoia.

He'd kept it all to himself because in the midst of it, Thea was going through her own relapse. He never wanted to add more stress to his family. But ignoring his mental state only made him worse, and worse, to a worrying point where he could no longer hide it and needed to seek immediate help.

Even still, he never really spoke about it, and he knew that worried the girls in his life.

"Why do you think it started happening years later? I guess most people would think it would happen as soon as you got out of prison." Jude said, opening up her laptop. She figured if she could feed it through casual conversation, it could help him.

"I don't know." Punk shrugged, "The doctor I saw wasn't surprised that it happened later on rather than straight away. He said it's stuff that can work on us, take time to really come out." He said as Jude nodded, "Plus he said stress can really bring it all out and I was stressed worrying about Thea at the time." He nodded.

"She still thinks it's her fault. Partly." Jude said as Punk shook his head.

"I've spoken to her about saying that." Punk shook his head unhappily, "It's not her fault. It's no one's fault. It's not a blame game."

"That's what I tell her too." Jude nodded, "I think it just comes from her worrying." She said as Punk nodded, looking down as James began to cry after having his bottle.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Punk frowned, holding him into his chest, rubbing his back, "Huh? What is it?" He said softly.

"He's just spit up on your shoulder." Jude noticed, cringing.

"Oh, that's nice." Punk hummed, unbothered, more concentrated on James as Jude chuckled.

"Hey!" Thea walked into the house, closing the door behind her.

"In here." Punk called from the kitchen as Thea walked down the hall and into the kitchen, pleased to see her sister.

"Oh, hey." Thea smiled, hugging her sister from behind.

"How was your night?" Jude asked.

"It was really good." Thea nodded, "Once I relaxed." She said, "It was nice to have some alone time, you know." She smirked to her sister who nodded, both of them turning to Punk who was staring at them unhappily.

"I am in the room." He reminded them.

"You are. And you have puke on your shoulder." Thea nodded.

"Yeah, he just did that." Punk said as Thea took James from him.

"Oh, hi baby." Thea smiled, picking James up carefully into her arms, "Hi." She smiled, "Were you good for papa?" She asked whilst Punk tried to clean himself up with some wipes on the table.

"He was great." Punk nodded, "He cried a little through the night but he was no trouble." Punk assured her.

"Oh, good." Thea smiled with relief, "What are you doing here?" She asked Jude curiously.

"I couldn't study at my apartment. Kirsty had company." Jude rolled her eyes.

"She always has company." Thea scoffed as Jude nodded, "Is mom at work?" She asked her father.

"Yeah, you just missed her." Punk said, "His things are all packed up at the front door." He explained as Thea nodded.

"So he was really no trouble?" Thea smiled, looking down at James who was a lot more settled now that he'd spit up on Punk a little.

"He was great." Punk said, "Cass fed him this morning and he gulped the whole lot."

"Oh, really?" Thea smiled as Punk nodded, "Oh, I'm so glad he was good for you guys. Maybe it's just me he acts up for." She said, "But I don't mind." She said in a funny voice, stroking James' cheek softly.

"He's an angel." Punk nodded as Thea smiled, "And I'm glad you had a night off. Your mom would babysit every night if she could." He chuckled to himself as Thea smiled.

"Well he's lucky he has such good grandparents, huh?" Thea looked down at James, "Huh, little guy?" She smiled.

It'd taken her the night off to realise just how attached she was to her son and how much she ached to hold him and see him again, even just after one night. That put a lot into perspective for her, even if she was tired all the time, it was all worth it for him.

"Take a seat and have some breakfast." Punk told her, "I gotta go change this shirt." He said, leaving the kitchen whilst Thea took a seat at the table with her sister, holding James in her arms.

"Hard at work?" Thea smiled as Jude nodded.

"He's not going to therapy anymore." Jude said, sliding her laptop over and looking across at her sister.

"What?" Thea shook her head.

"Yeah, he said he doesn't need it." Jude said, putting her hands up as Thea sighed, shaking her head.

It was tough seeing their father the way he was a year ago. They just worried and wanted him to be ok. That meant making sure he opened up and used any resources he could to help himself. They just knew he could be terribly stubborn.

"No one can force him to go." Thea nodded, "Maybe he's… maybe he is feeling better. Dealing with it on his own." She said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, maybe." Jude said, not so convinced, looking across at her sister as they both knew they were thinking the same thing.


	5. Hurt and Heal

**Hurt and Heal**

* * *

"_Hey, baby." AJ smiled tiredly, watching as Punk came in the living room one night. He'd just got off from work._

"_Hey." Punk smiled, leaning over and kissing her hello as she cupped his cheek._

"_How are you?" She asked._

"_I'm ok." Punk said, "Tired." He admitted, "But I brought you a donut." He smiled, extending the box to her as AJ smiled, sitting up a little more alert._

"_You're the best." AJ smiled as he nodded, sitting down beside her on the couch, "How was work?" She patted his thigh sweetly as he gave a relaxed nod._

"_Work was fine." He said, "What are you watching?" He asked, looking at the TV, trying to figure it out._

"_General Hospital." AJ smiled to him, "Your favourite." She said sarcastically as he groaned, rolling his head back on the couch as she chuckled._

"_Anything but this." Punk fake cried as she chuckled, digging into her donut, "When'd you get home?"_

"_Finished at 3." AJ said, "And I was not staying a minute longer. Everyone was driving me crazy today." She shook her head._

"_Can boss lady not handle the heat?" He teased._

"_Boss lady can't handle morons who can't do their job right." AJ corrected as Punk chuckled._

"_You're mean." He said._

"_I'm really not." AJ assured him, "I have deadlines and if they're not met, I lose my job." AJ reminded him._

"_And yet, you and all your superhero talents, always make those deadlines." He smiled, leaning in and kissing her cheek._

"_I am a superhero." She agreed with enjoyment as he nodded, looking back at the TV, tapping the couch with his fingers with agitation, "I haven't heard from her today." She answered before he could even ask._

"_You tried calling?" Punk asked._

_Yeah." AJ said, "I got a hold of Dominic and he said that she's just sleeping. Anytime he brings up the AA meetings she just walks away from him." AJ shook her head, "I think he's worried she's not gonna stop."_

"_I think that's all our general worry right now." Punk sighed to himself, "We should go visit tomorrow."_

"_It'll go down like last time." AJ said, "Relapsed or not. She has pride. She doesn't wanna see us."_

"_I don't give a shit." Punk scoffed, "She needs people around her right now. She's got herself out of it before and she'll do it again." He said confidently as AJ nodded, running her hand through her hair. _

"_I just hate that she has this battle all the time." AJ shook her head, "I seriously hate it." She bit her lip, trying not to get upset as Punk nodded, wrapping his arm around her._

"_I do too." Punk nodded._

"_I know Dominic takes good care of her." AJ nodded to herself, wiping under her eyes to catch the few tears, "When I spoke to him earlier I felt a little better. He said he wouldn't let her do this to herself again, and that he was taking some time off work to be there and help her." She said as Punk nodded._

_As he was listening to her, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, a heavy ache like someone was stepping on him with all their weight. It was something he'd been getting recently, and out of his own worry, he had of course been ignoring it._

"_I still wanna go see her and try talk to her." Punk said._

"_Yeah, of course." AJ agreed, "We can only try." She said, using the donut napkin to dry her eyes as Punk tried to straighten up a little, wondering if it was just a pulled muscle or ache in his chest, but he knew deep down it was a different kind of pain._

"_I uh… I'm gonna get a drink." Punk nodded, standing up from the couch, "Do you need anything?"_

"_No, I'm ok." She squeezed his hand as he nodded, walking out of the living room and into the kitchen._

_It hadn't been an easy few weeks once learning for their daughter's relapse. It was hard to help her when she was isolating herself so much, and as parents, no matter what her age was, they felt completely helpless._

_Punk got into the kitchen, feeling himself getting warmer, opening up the window in the kitchen as he placed his hands on the counter, looking down as he felt his breath start to lose its rhythm._

_He could only describe it as if the walls were closing in around him, sucking all the air out of the room…_

* * *

"Here." Punk took his jacket off, putting it over AJ's shoulders as they walked home one night after being out for dinner.

"Thank you." AJ smiled, holding the jacket over her shoulders, lacing her arm through his and leaning into him as they walked down the street, "I ate so much tonight." She groaned as Punk chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm taking my pants off as soon as I get in the door." Punk said as she smiled.

"If you are, I am." AJ said as he smiled, "I had a really nice time, though. You're good to me." She smiled, kissing his arm as he smiled.

"You deserve the best." He kissed her head as she smiled.

The past few years had given them time to catch up on their own relationship. Having Jude and Thea move out really opened up more time for them as a couple to focus on what they missed in the past eight years. To be able to have that unbreakable bond again was so beautiful, and because of their time apart, time together now meant so much.

"You wanna know a secret?" AJ asked him as he looked down worriedly.

"What?" Punk wondered.

"I've been eating a lot of cake recently." AJ nodded as Punk laughed a little.

"Not really a secret, babe. I catch you all the time." Punk said.

"Is it an old thing?" AJ wondered, "Like I can't stop eating it." She shook her head as he chuckled.

"You eat all the cake you want." Punk assured her as she smiled.

There was something so beautiful and almost fascinating about the journey they'd been on. The fact they'd started this journey when they were just sixteen, and now almost thirty years later, still going strong, with equal if not more amounts of love for one another.

"So I had Jude and Thea on the phone today whilst I was at work." AJ said, "Both worried that you aren't going to therapy anymore." She said, feeling him tense a little, "I just told them it was your decision and I think… I think you're doing good on your own." She nodded.

"I am." Punk said, "They don't need to worry."

"I know but they do. Jude said that you still don't even acknowledge it." AJ said.

"Yeah, I don't acknowledge it with them because they're my daughters." Punk said, "I talk to you about it."

"I know you do." AJ nodded, rubbing his arm softly.

"It's not something I wanna constantly talk about." Punk shook his head as AJ nodded.

"Of course it's not." AJ said, "I think they're just scared of seeing you get so bad again. And they wanna do everything they can to prevent that." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah and I get that but… they gotta believe me when I say I'm doing ok." Punk said as AJ nodded, "I'm dealing with it a whole lot better."

"I know you are. I can see it." AJ said, "I think when you live the way we did, grew up the way we did, at the time you don't recognise the damage that you're actually doing to yourself. It's not until after, when it's taken it's time to eat away at you and play on your mind." She said.

"Those eight years I lost I just… I felt like I lost myself." Punk nodded, "And when I got out, I was so focused on the girls and you and just trying to be the guy I was before that I… I took no notice to what it actually done to me in there." He said as she nodded, "Not until years later."

"It was a traumatic thing you went through. Eight years of not just being away from us and your family but eight years of freedom that you lost." AJ said, "I can't imagine how you even had to live in there. The way everything had to have just changed overnight for you." She said as Punk nodded, "That's nothing you have to hide from me or the girls. They're old enough and they wanna help." She said.

"I know they do." Punk nodded.

"Thea said to me, mom I just wanna make sure I help him the way he's helped me." AJ said as Punk looked down at her, "Her words."

"I know they care. They have big hearts." Punk nodded, "But I'm doing better and that's all they need to know." He said as she nodded.

"I know. I had a good chat with both of them." AJ assured him, "I'm sort of regretting not getting dessert at that restaurant." She admitted, leaning into him as he chuckled.

"I'll give you dessert when we get home." Punk nodded.

"Phillip." AJ tutted.

"No, really… there's some cupcakes left from the other day." Punk said.

"Oh." AJ smiled, "Well, I'll take whatever you have to offer." She smiled up at him as he nodded, leaning down and kissing her sweetly as they walked down the street together, close and cosy.

It was their time now to have these nights off, to have more alone time and to, in a way, continue to heal from all the hurt and pain those eight years caused them. Because they were still healing.


	6. Learning

**Learning**

* * *

"Hey, is my dad down here?" Jude asked, walking down at the docks, bumping into her uncle.

"He is down there." Dean pointed to where Punk was further down the boardwalk, "How's college been?" He asked his niece.

"Yeah, it's been good." Jude nodded, "I got a little breather right now after I handed in all my stuff from New York." She said.

"Yeah, I heard you really liked the big apple." Dean said as Jude nodded.

"It was just nice to go and see different things." Jude said, "I love Chicago but everything was so much bigger and better in New York." She shook her head as Dean nodded, "You would like it." She said as Dean nodded.

"Me and Renee are due a vacation I think." Dean said as Jude smiled.

"I'd suggest there." Jude said, "I'm gonna go see my dad." She said, leaving her uncle to his work and walking down the boardwalk.

"What are you doing here?" Punk noticed Jude.

"I can't come visit my dad?" Jude questioned.

"No, you can." Punk chuckled a little, "I figured you'd have better things to do on a Friday afternoon." He shrugged.

"Apparently not." Jude said, "Are you mad with me?" She questioned as he looked at her with confusion.

"Mad? No? Why… what did you do?" He questioned worriedly.

"No, nothing… I just… well mom told me about you getting a little uptight about me and Thea worrying about you not going to therapy anymore." Jude said as Punk nodded slowly, "We're not trying to constantly bring it up and make you uncomfortable. We don't want that, obviously." She said as Punk nodded.

"I know that." Punk said.

"It was just so difficult seeing you like that. It was scary. Jude nodded, "I guess it was wrong of me to have this perception of you as this tough, strong, superhero guy who never gets hurt or affected by anything." Jude said.

"You don't think I'm a superhero anymore?" Punk frowned teasingly as she smiled, nudging him.

"Of course I do." She assured him as he smiled, "I'm just saying… it's ok to… not be ok. And it's also ok to talk about not being ok." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know, sweetheart. I do talk about it. I talk about it with mom all the time." Punk assured her, "I don't feel like I'm getting any benefit out of therapy anymore. That's the only reason I stopped going. Not because I wanna avoid it all." He said as Jude nodded.

"Well that makes me feel better." Jude said as Punk nodded, "I just hate that we all seem to have moved on and you still have to live with the eight years you lost." She shook her head, leaning over the railings as Punk stood beside her.

"I'm trying." He assured her, "It was just such a long time. And such a crucial time that I missed. Sometimes I feel like I missed all of yours and Thea's life." He admitted.

"It's just parts of life. There's no crucial parts in my opinion. I feel like I need you more now than I did back then. And I know Thea feels the same." Jude nodded.

"I thought you both just said that to make me feel better." Punk said as she shook her head.

"No, of course not." Jude said, "You and mom never really had it easy. And I'm talking years and years and years-"

"Ok, I get it. I'm old." Punk nodded as she smiled, "Yeah, I know we didn't have the best time or the best upbringing but I'm not one to cry about that or look for excuses. A lot of what got me here was my own poor choices. I think that's what hurts the most sometimes." He admitted honestly.

"When do you think you started making those poor choices?" Jude asked him.

"Oh, long before you were even born." Punk said, "When I was a kid and I thought that my actions didn't have consequences." He nodded to himself, "I always wonder how much your mom actually told you about everything that happened back then?"

"She told us a little." Jude said, "Enough to know what we needed to." She said as Punk nodded, "I think everyone makes mistakes."

"Yeah, only problem was, I never learned from mine." He shrugged.

"You did. Maybe when you were young were stupid and selfish but you grew up. You got pulled back into it all, not out of choice." She reminded him, "That's the way I see it."

"I try not have regrets but it's impossible when there's eight years of my life that I just sat in a cell during." He shook his head.

"But you're moving on from it. You have moved on." Jude said.

"I have but… it's still there. It still creeps up on me every now and then." Punk said as Jude nodded.

"But you're headed in the right direction." Jude nodded. She always tried to be positive. It was hard to be pessimistic about anything with Jude around, and he was glad she had that ability to keep high spirit and positivity alive.

"I'm so proud of you girls, you know that?" He turned to her as Jude smiled, "You're awesome. I feel like I'm now learning from you guys. Learning the things I should have years ago." He shook his head.

"Yeah? Like what?" Jude asked curiously.

"Patience." Punk nodded, "Understanding that not everything is gonna be in my control. Not everything is going to be perfect but… it's the trying that counts. The effort." He said, "I've watched Thea bring herself out of relapses. I've watched you screw what anyone else thinks and do what you love to do. Cassie broke her leg last year, she was out for the entire soccer season, and she didn't get mad or angry… she was patient, she accepted it." Punk nodded to himself, "All of that, you got from your mom." He said.

"Patience? Coming from the guy who waited eight years to get out of a cell?" Jude asked, "I'd say you got patience in the bag." She said as he nodded to himself with a smile.

"Maybe." Punk nodded, "I just missed so much and it's never going away. Cassie… I never got to hold her, never saw her first steps or words. I never got to see you go to high school. Never got to see Thea graduate." He said, "Things that mean so much to people, I missed it all." He said as Jude nodded.

"And that's gotta be tough." Jude nodded, "But we've always made a lot of new memories that are really great. That mean so much to all of us." She said, "Good things happened."

"I know and I'm so grateful for all of that." Punk said, "So grateful." He nodded, "But it still plays on my mind. And yeah, I learn to deal with it. I am dealing with it." He said, "It just gets mentally exhausting sometimes."

"I know." Jude sighed, "But that's what we're here to help for." She nodded to him with a smile as he nodded.

He nodded, wrapping his arm around her as she hugged into him, feeling him plant a kiss on her head.

"How'd I get so lucky with such amazing kids, huh?" Punk asked as she smiled.

"You're right. You are lucky." She teased, patting his bat as he chuckled.

* * *

"Babe?" Punk walked into the house later on after finishing work.

"In here." AJ called from the kitchen as Punk walked on through, "Hey, baby." AJ smiled, hugging him and getting a kiss from him.

"How are you?" He asked, taking his jacket off.

"I'm good." AJ nodded.

"Where is Cass at?" Punk asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she smiled.

"She is at a friend's studying." AJ said, "How was work?" She asked him.

"It was ok." Punk nodded, watching as she walked on over to the stove, "Is that tacos I can see?" He noticed.

"Tacos it is." AJ smiled, "I heard Jude visited you."

"Of course you did. You and your girls circle." He scoffed as AJ smiled, "She's a good kid." He nodded to himself, "Like I said to her, I'm constantly learning from all three of them. It's insane really."

"I think it's sweet." AJ smiled, "How is your back?" She asked.

"Oh, it's fine. I told you. Just a strain." He smirked as she hmm'd at him, "Wouldn't hurt to get your healing hands on it, though."

"Healing hands?" AJ chuckled.

"Yeah, you're a good fixer upper." Punk shrugged as she smiled.

"Maybe you should go to Thea. She's the doctor after all." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"Last time I told her about it she just told me to put heat on it and ignore it." Punk shrugged, "Ace doctor she is." He teased as AJ smiled, "You heard from her today?"

"She called me on my lunch break." AJ nodded, "She was worried about James. Told me there was something wrong with him. That he kept jumping." She shook her head as Punk looked worriedly, "She sent me a video and it was just hiccups." AJ said.

"For crying out loud." Punk scoffed as AJ nodded.

"I was kinda like that when I first had Thea. When you got a baby so small and precious, you do worry more than usual." AJ nodded, "And you notice everything." She said as Punk nodded, "Apart from that she's doing good. Better, I think. James is sleeping more at night which I think is helping her a lot more."

"Sleep makes a huge difference." Punk said.

"Hell yeah it does." AJ agreed, "Come make up your tacos." She told him as he walked over to the stove where she was standing, "So how was your chat with Jude?" She smiled.

"It was good." Punk nodded truthfully, "That kid has a talent of just… pulling shit out of me." He said as AJ nodded.

"She's always been like that with you." AJ nodded.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "She just puts it into perspective that I'm doing alright."

"You're doing great." AJ smiled, rubbing his back softly, "And I love you." She said, leaning up and kissing his cheek as he smiled.

"I love you." He smiled.

No matter how down he felt, how hurt he got and anxious, nothing could ever go that far because he had the most amazing, supportive family around him. He was at a point in his life where a lot of things were flooding back to him. His head was doing a lot of spinning. But the one thing he knew for sure was that his family were his everything.


	7. Birthday

**Birthday**

* * *

"_Can you say happy birthday, daddy." AJ smiled, sitting at the kitchen table, looking on at one year old Thea who was sitting on Punk's knee whilst a candle lit pancake was sitting in front of him, a morning birthday breakfast that AJ had prepared for him._

"_She's more interested in biting my finger, I think." Punk nodded, trying to take his hand from Thea who was grabbing onto it, still going through a bit of teething at times, "You can't bite me on my birthday." Punk hummed as Thea tilted her head and looked up at him._

"_Well you have to make a wish." AJ smiled happily, sliding the plate closer to Punk who chuckled a little and nodded._

"_I don't know if I gotta wish for anything right now." Punk admitted. _

"_Come on." AJ smiled, "Everyone has to wish for something on their birthday." She said as Punk nodded to himself._

"_Ok." Punk thought to himself, "Ok." He closed his eyes, leaning forward as AJ watched him with a smile, noticing Thea was watching what he was doing curiously, as well as the candle flame._

_He blew the candle out and leaned back on his chair, looking down at Thea who was staring at the smoke from the candle, smiling over to AJ._

"_Wasn't so hard, was it?" AJ smiled, taking the candle out of the pancakes, "So what'd you wish for?" She asked eagerly._

"_Uh… I can't tell you that." Punk chuckled, playing with Thea's hands as she sat contently on his knee, "You can't tell people your wish. It might not come true."_

"_I'm not people." AJ said, "You know I don't like secrets." She pouted._

"_Don't be a baby." Punk chuckled, "I'm not telling you." He said, taking his fork and digging into the pancakes as AJ huffed like a child, causing him to laugh._

"_Well… what do you wanna do tonight when you get home?" AJ asked, "Do you wanna go out? Stay in? Pizza? Chinese? You call the shots." She nodded._

"_I don't mind staying in." Punk nodded._

"_We could rent a movie. I can have a look at the video store on my way home from work." AJ said._

"_Sounds good to me." Punk smiled._

"_I might even look at the horror section." AJ shrugged, "Just because it's your birthday."_

"_How sweet of you." Punk smiled, "You do that and I will have dinner ordered for you getting home. I'll get this little rascal in the bath and in bed." He nodded, kissing Thea's head as AJ smiled._

"_Are you sure you don't wanna go out?" AJ asked him, "Because we can if you want. I really don't mind."_

"_No, this is fine." Punk assured her as AJ nodded with a smile, "Twenty-one, huh?" He thought to himself._

"_Feel older than twenty?" AJ wondered._

"_It does actually." Punk nodded, "I'm starting to feel less like a kid." He admitted._

"_Yeah, she really helps with that." AJ nodded, taking a cute hold of one of Thea's socked feet as the one-year-old smiled, "Yeah, you do." AJ nodded to her daughter, "You make us feel so old." She nodded as Punk chuckled._

"_These pancakes are good." Punk nodded._

"_Made with love as always." AJ smirked as he chuckled._

"_Can I just say I love all the decorations too." Punk nodded, looking around the kitchen. Not to mention there were banners and balloons all over the living room, "When did you even put them up?"_

"_Last night." AJ shrugged._

"_We went to sleep together last time." Punk shook his head._

"_I waited until you were asleep." AJ said as Punk nodded, "You don't think it's too much?" She wondered._

"_Oh, totally." Punk nodded, "But I love it." He said as she chuckled, "And I know this one loves balloons." He smiled, "Huh, sweet girl?" He looked down at Thea who was grabbed the edge of the table, "You want some of daddy's birthday pancakes?"_

"_Oh, she'll love that." AJ nodded, watching Punk break some pancake off, handing it to Thea in front of her as Thea took it from him, putting some in her mouth as they watched her. _

"_I'm sure she'll let us know if she likes it or not." Punk said, "The other day I was giving her dinner, you were at work, and I thought we'd try out some carrots." He said, "She spat them out on the floor. Literally spat them." Punk nodded._

"_Oh, of course my girl knows what she wants and doesn't want." AJ nodded proudly as Punk chuckled._

"_Well I think she definitely likes pancakes." Punk nodded, looking down at Thea enjoying the pancake._

"_Is that good, baby?" AJ smiled, "You having some of daddy's pancakes?" She said as Thea gave an edgy smirk._

"_She knows it's good." Punk nodded, "But I gotta get going." He noticed the time, passing Thea over to AJ who took her onto her lap._

"_I hope you have a good day at work." AJ smiled, "And I will give you your birthday gifts later." She smirked as he stood up, chuckling._

"_Gifts?" He wondered._

"_Yeah." AJ shrugged, "The wrapped one and… the one when she's asleep." AJ nodded as he smirked and nodded._

"_And now I'll be thinking about that all day." Punk nodded as she grinned, watching as he leaned down, kissing her sweetly, "I'll see you later." He said between kisses as she kissed back._

"_And I will see you later." Punk crouched down, kissing Thea's cheek._

"_Can you say bye daddy." AJ took Thea's hand, waving it softly as Thea stared at Punk, causing him to smile._

"_Bye bye." Punk waved sweetly at her as she smiled, curling into AJ cutely as Punk chuckled, "She pretends she's shy." He shook his head as AJ chuckled._

"_Have a good day, baby." AJ smiled to him as he nodded, placing his hand on her shoulder sweetly before taking his things and heading to work for the day._

* * *

"Happy birthday, dad." Thea smiled, wrapping her arms around her father tightly as Punk hugged back, standing in the kitchen whilst Cassie was sat at the table.

"Thanks, sweetheart." Punk smiled, kissing her head.

"Phil." Dominic nodded, also giving Punk a hug as Punk embraced him sweetly, "Happy birthday." Dominic said as Punk smiled.

"Thanks, kid." Punk nodded, "Now where is my favourite little man?" Punk asked.

"Mom snatched him right away when we got in the house." Thea chuckled.

"Of course she did." Punk nodded, "How's he been doing?" He asked.

"He's doing good." Dominic nodded, "He got his last set of shots yesterday-"

"I think I cried more than he did." Thea admitted as Punk smiled, "He's actually sleeping now. He goes down at like… seven?" She turned to Dominic who nodded, "Wakes up at like 6am." She nodded.

"Hey, that's pretty good." Punk nodded, "He just needed to find a routine." He said as Thea nodded.

"Now we both end up in bed at seven." Thea scoffed, "It's all very glamorous." She said sarcastically as Punk chuckled and nodded, "So what did you do with your day?"

"Oh, nothing much." Punk said, "Mom and I went for breakfast this morning. Went for a walk at the pier." He said.

"Oh, that sounds nice." Thea nodded whilst Dominic got them both a drink from the fridge. Water.

"It was." Punk said just as AJ came into the kitchen with James in her arms, "Hey, there's my guy." Punk smiled, taking James from AJ. He had the cutest outfit on. Little jeans, a shirt and the tiniest body warmer, "Did you dress him?" He asked his daughter who nodded.

"Of course. My baby has to look good on his papa's birthday." Thea nodded as Punk smiled.

"I like the shirt." Punk nodded, "Hey, mister." He smiled down at James who was half falling asleep.

"Hey!" Jude called as she got in the door, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen, "Hey, happy birthday." She smiled, leaning over and kissing her father's cheek, not getting a hug as his arms were busy with James.

"Thanks, sweetheart." Punk smiled.

"Hey, you." Jude said in a funny voice, stroking James' cheek, "This body warmer is so cute. Where'd you get it?" Jude asked Thea.

"Macy's. Fifty percent off." Thea nodded to her sister.

"On everything?" Jude gasped.

"Holy shit." Cassie stood up, "Really?"

"No, just kids stuff." Thea scoffed.

"Don't get me excited like that." Jude said, "I didn't miss the cake, did I?"

"No, you didn't." AJ smiled.

"Good. I got held up at college." Jude explained.

"Well I'm gonna put on a spread for everyone to help themselves." AJ announced.

"You don't have to go to the trouble." Punk assured his wife.

"I am a little hungry." Thea nodded.

"I gotta use the food up anyway." AJ nodded, "Go on into the living room. Shift your butts." She told them all, watching her three daughters and son-in-law left the kitchen and headed into the living room whilst Punk stood with James.

"Babe, you don't have to do all of this just because it's my birthday." Punk assured her. Like every birthday he was lucky to have at home with his wife and children, his wife had decorated the house, they'd gone for their traditional birthday breakfast and he was showered with hugs and kisses from the girls in his life as always. It was a good day, it was a family day.

"I know I don't but I enjoy doing it and I love it when we're all together." AJ shrugged as Punk smiled.

"Yeah, me too." Punk nodded, "This is my first birthday as a papa." He nodded to himself as AJ smiled.

"His outfit is so cool." AJ chuckled.

"This kid dresses better than me." Punk nodded.

"Wouldn't be hard." AJ teased.

"Ouch. Not on my birthday." Punk said as AJ chuckled to herself.

"He is the cutest little baby." AJ agreed, walking over and watching as James slept in Punk's arms, "Do you remember when I used to let Thea and Jude bake you a cake for your birthday?" She chuckled, stroking James' little head softly as she looked up at Punk.

"Yeah, I do. And you'd make me eat it. Well… they made me eat it." Punk nodded, "Half the time it was just raw cake mix." He groaned as AJ chuckled.

"I watched them put a full jar of jelly into one of the cakes they made you one time. I just… I thought it was funny." AJ chuckled.

"Of course you did." Punk smiled.

"How is this birthday treating you?" She asked.

"Well let's see… I got to wake up to my beautiful wife and have breakfast with her." He said as she smiled, "And now I get to spend the night with my family." He nodded, "It's pretty good." He said as she smiled.

"Mhm, I love you." She said, leaning up and kissing him sweetly as he kissed back, "You go on in. I'll shove this food in the oven." She told him, pulling back from the kiss as he nodded with a smile.

She smiled as she watched him wander away into the living room with James. Seeing him so happy, so consumed by his family was something she really loved to see. Her heart craved to see it, because she knew how much he'd longed for moments like these.


	8. Club

**Club**

* * *

"Morning." Punk nodded, walking into Jude's apartment after she let him in.

"Hey, sorry about the mess." Jude said, having just woken up.

"I'm used to this by now." Punk nodded, "Here, I picked up your glasses." He passed her the prescription.

"Thank you so much." Jude smiled, taking the bag from him, "You want a coffee?" She asked him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go help myself." He assured her, "Go put those somewhere safe. Don't sit on them or anything." He said as she chuckled, wandering away into her room whilst Punk headed for the kitchen.

Jude definitely lived the student life. Her apartment was a complete mess. Clothes, take-out boxes, the most random things just lying around. She shared her apartment with a friend from college, and Punk and AJ thought it was great that she was getting such independence so young.

He headed into the equally messy kitchen where he saw Kirsty, Jude's roommate and best friend, standing making herself bagel.

"Hi, Mister Brooks." Kirsty smiled.

"Kirsty you don't gotta call me that." Punk assured her, sticking on the coffee pot.

Of course he and AJ were always visiting Jude. She only lived ten minutes away. One time AJ had gone to the apartment and cleaned the entire place. They still wanted to be helpful to Jude of course.

"It feels appropriate." Kirsty shrugged, "Jude still making you her slave?" She asked.

"Pretty much." Punk nodded, "I was dropping in her new glasses. I picked them up on my way here."

"She's so damn lazy." Kirsty scoffed as Punk chuckled.

"You got a class today?" Punk asked her.

"We do and then we're going out later." Kirsty nodded.

"Where you going?" Punk asked.

"Not sure. A club probably. I think Jude said Thea is coming with us too." Kirsty said as Punk looked at her, watching her eat her bagel, "Which is great because I love Thea." She said as Punk nodded slowly.

"Ok, the glasses are in my top drawer." Jude nodded, walking back into the kitchen with a pair of shorts and a comic, graphic t-shirt.

"Shouldn't you… I don't know… wear them?" Kirsty questioned.

"I have my contacts in right now." Jude shook her head.

"You want some?" Punk asked Jude as he poured himself a coffee.

"Oh, yeah. Please." Jude nodded as Punk poured another mug.

"What about you?" He asked Kirsty.

"Oh, I'm fine." Kirsty assured him, "I gotta go finish an essay that was due for last night." She said, finishing her bagel off, "It was good to see you." She nodded to Punk who nodded back.

"Why is Thea going clubbing with you and your friends?" Punk turned to Jude as soon as Kirsty was gone.

"What?" Jude shook her head.

"Kirsty told me she's going out with you tonight." Punk said.

"Her and her big fat mouth." Jude scoffed, "We were just talking and she said she really wanted a night out. I said come with us. She's my sister. I actually like hanging out with her now-"

"Well I'm worried about her, especially in a club of all places." Punk looked at Jude, "What if she has a drink?"

"I'll keep an eye on her." Jude said.

"Please, you're worse than a deer trying to walk when you're drunk." Punk shook his head.

"Dad, please calm down." Jude nodded as he looked at her, "Thea can't just sit in her house forever just because she has… drink problems. She needs to live her life just like the rest of us." She said, "She can still come out and have a good time without drinking. You did it when you were young." She said.

"It's different." Punk shook his head.

"How?" Jude scoffed.

"Because I wasn't an addict, Jude." Punk said, "I don't know… it's gotta be the worst place for her."

"She's getting better. She is better. And she deserves to have a night off." Jude said, "I won't let anything happen to her." Jude said.

"I know you won't." Punk sighed, "I'm sorry. I just… I just worry about her." He shook his head as Jude nodded.

"I do too." Jude said, "But she can still come and have fun. I think deliberately not doing that stuff anymore is what draws attention to it." She said, "And if she goes in and it's too much for her then we'll leave. I wouldn't want her feeling uncomfortable." Jude said as Punk nodded.

"I know you wouldn't." Punk nodded, "Can you like… text me when you're both home?" He asked, "Just so I know."

"Yes." Jude nodded, "It might not be in English, but you will receive a text of some sort." She said as Punk nodded with a smile.

"Thank you." Punk said as Jude nodded, "Be careful. Chicago and Chicago at 3am on a Friday night is two completely different places." He said as Jude nodded.

"I have been out once or twice in my life." Jude nodded sarcastically as Punk nodded, "Wouldn't you rather we go out together?" She shook her head.

"Yeah, actually. I guess so." He thought to himself, "Since when did you two start getting along so well? You both used to fight like cat and dog when you were little."

"Well we're not so little, are we?" Jude hummed as Punk nodded to himself, "Is mom at work?"

"Yeah. I start at 10." He said, looking at his phone, "I should probably shoot." He nodded to himself, finishing his coffee, "I'll add this to your pile of dishes here." He sat his cup next to other dishes which hadn't been washed.

"We… we haven't gotten round to doing them." Jude shrugged.

"In how many weeks?" Punk teased.

"Get out of here." Jude shoved him as he chuckled, leaving the kitchen and heading out of the apartment as Jude sat down at the kitchen table to have the rest of her coffee.

"Oh, is he gone?" Kirsty walked into the kitchen as Jude nodded, "I love your dad." She frowned as Jude looked at her.

"Yeah, you tell me every time." Jude raised a brow.

"He's so hot." Kirsty nodded as Jude rolled her eyes, "Seriously… like if he wasn't your dad-"

"Well he is." Jude batted as Kirsty chuckled.

"I'm just saying." Kirsty said.

"Well don't just say." Jude scoffed as Kirsty chuckled to herself.

* * *

"How do I look?" Thea asked, walking out of the bathroom where Dominic was lying up on their bed with James asleep on his chest.

He raised his eyebrows as he watched his wife emerge from the bathroom, looking as stunning as ever. She had her black hair straight, her make-up done, a denim skirt and blouse on with some heels.

"Milf or what?" Thea chuckled, turning around slowly as Dominic nodded, "I'm gonna take all this silence as a good thing." She chuckled.

"You look incredible." Dominic nodded, "I mean… insane."

"Well thank you." Thea smiled, "I can't remember the last time I sat and straightened all of my hair, and put make-up on." She shook her head, picking her purse up to make sure she had everything she needed.

"So like… how long you got until you need to leave?" Dominic smiled as Thea chuckled, "He's asleep." He pointed out.

"I gotta leave in five minutes." Thea chuckled.

"I can work with that." Dominic shrugged as Thea smiled.

"How about you stay up and wait for me when I get home." Thea said, "And whatever you have in mind, save it for then." She smirked.

"Ok, but if I'm asleep, please just wake me up for it." He nodded as she chuckled, "Seriously, you look beautiful."

"Thank you." Thea smiled. She felt incredibly lucky to have someone who made her feel worthy, especially when she spent many years feeling the complete opposite.

"Are you meeting Jude there?" Dominic asked.

"I'm going to her place first and then we'll go out." Thea said, looking in a compact mirror as she put on some lipstick, noticing Dominic watching her, not saying anything, "I know what you're thinking." She hummed.

"What am I thinking?" Dominic asked.

"That I'm gonna be tempted to drink." Thea said, "I saw it on your face the second I told you I was going to a club-"

"Well… can you blame me?" Dominic asked, "My worry comes from a good place, trust me." Dominic said, "I just… I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, that's all."

"I gotta get used to it, because I refuse to be boring just because I can't drink." Thea said, "I can have a lot of fun without it. And that's what I'm gonna do." She said positively as Dominic smiled.

"Well I do hope you have fun." Dominic said, "And to answer your question, yes you're the hottest milf I've ever seen."

"Mhm." Thea nodded, satisfied, "I thought so." She said as he chuckled.

"You'll keep your little sister in check, right?" Dominic said as Thea walked around the bed.

"Of course. She can handle herself, though. She knows when she's had enough, unlike you or I." She said as Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, I'm kinda jealous." Dominic nodded.

"Who needs it?" Thea scoffed, leaning down and giving him a kiss, "And you, my little beautiful baby." She smiled, looking on at James asleep on Dominic's chest, "You look after daddy." She hummed, kissing him on the head as Dominic smiled.

* * *

"God, my feet." Jude moaned, stumbling out of the club, taking her heels off and leaning against the nearest wall as Thea followed, taking out a cigarette from her purse and lighting up.

"You want one?" Thea asked as Jude nodded, taking the cigarette from her sister, leaning over for her to light it.

"I didn't know you still smoked." Jude said, holding her heels in one hand and the cigarette in the other, whilst leaning against the wall. Music blared and boomed from the club whilst people came to and from the club to smoke.

"I don't unless I'm out. I've trained myself." Thea nodded as Jude scoffed.

"You're obviously not doing it right then." Jude teased, "You ok?" She turned to her sister.

"I'm fine." Thea said, "Stop asking me." She nodded, "I can come out and have fun without the drink." She assured her.

"I know, I just… I still worry." Jude said.

"Well stop." Thea suggested, "I've had some delightful cranberry juice tonight. It's gone down a treat." She nodded as Jude smiled, stumbling over a little and groaning to herself, "The question is, are you alright?" She chuckled.

"I'm all good." Jude nodded, tipsy, "The second I come out they play my song?" Jude listened closely.

"That's your song?" Thea chuckled, "The way I are?" She questioned as Jude nodded.

"Thug it out til we get it right." Jude sang, dancing in the middle of the street as Thea laughed to herself, watching as a group of boys whistled over from across the street.

"You have fans." Thea nodded as Jude scoffed.

"Keep walking!" Jude called across the street as Thea laughed to herself, "Ok, let's go back in." She said, putting her cigarette out as Thea nodded, putting her own out and walking back into the club.

"Put your shoes back on." Thea advised, the big sister in her still coming out.

"Ok, mom." Jude scoffed as Thea shoved her as Jude fell into the wall, pulling a few posters down as they both chuckled, trying to make it up the stairs together, proving difficult as they were in a fit of laughter.

They eventually made it back into the busy club, dancing and laughing together on the dancefloor with their friends. Thea eventually left Jude dancing with some boy to go find the bathroom.

She found it and groaned upon seeing the line, and decided to pull out a trick from when she was younger, when she spent a lot of time in clubs. She would somehow find her way into the back of the club and just use one of the staff bathrooms.

She walked out of the main club down a side corridor, closing the door behind her which read staff only, walking down the corridor, the walls vibrating from the loud music as she searched for a bathroom.

She opened up a door, pausing when she saw a group of people standing in an office type room.

"S-Sorry." Thea shook her head as the woman behind the desk looked across at her, "Is there a bathroom back here?" She questioned, watching the woman behind the desk staring at her.

"Next door." The woman smiled as Thea looked at her, not being able to help feel a little creeped out by the smile.

"Thanks." Thea shook her head with confusion, closing the door back over and heading next door for the bathroom.

"Hi, baby Mendez." Marina smiled to herself, leaning back on her chair behind her desk, "Welcome to the club."


	9. Back

**Back**

* * *

"My head is pounding." Jude groaned, lying on her couch, still wearing her outfit from the previous night as Thea chuckled, standing over her with a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I definitely don't miss this part." Thea nodded, sitting down the coffee on the table as Jude groaned, rolling onto her back.

"What are you doing here?" Jude asked curiously, "Is Kirsty here?"

"Yeah, she's in her room. With some other guy." Thea nodded.

"Of course." Jude assumed, rubbing her eyes and face.

"Once I dropped you off I went home, got some of my own action." She smirked as Jude scoffed, "When I woke up I figured I'd come check on you."

"You could have just stayed here if it was easier." Jude said, sitting up on the couch and reaching for her coffee.

"No, I wanted to go home and see Dominic and James." Thea said, "But last night was super fun."

"Yeah, it got a little hazy for me." Jude screwed her eyes up, trying to remember. She wasn't a party girl every night of the week, but every now and then if her friends were going out, or her sister was, she enjoyed it just like anybody else.

"Yeah, carrying you home last night was not fun." Thea assured her, "Dominic popped when I told him about it."

"Why? What was I doing?" Jude asked, horrified.

"Well first of all you sang Killer Queen by Queen the entire way home." Thea nodded, "Which… how do you know all the words to that?"

"You don't?" Jude asked, disappointed.

"I do now after last night." Thea scoffed, "You tried to stand up on a car too." She added as Jude groaned, "Got your heel stuck in a drain and tried to dance with a homeless man."

"Ok, I get the point." Jude put her hand up as Thea chuckled, "Did you have a good time at least?" She asked as Thea nodded.

"I did actually." Thea nodded, "It was fun. Good to get out and let my hair down." She said as Jude smiled and nodded, both of them turning around as one of the bedroom door opened, watching a guy come out of Kirsty's room with just boxer shorts on.

"Morning." He smirked to them as they looked at him, "You should have joined in last night." He nodded, walking to the bathroom as Jude scoffed and turned back around.

"Charming." Thea nodded, folding her arms as she watched the guy walk into the bathroom, "So something weird happened last night." Thea said, sitting down on the couch next to her sister, turning in to face her as Jude looked at her.

"What? What else did I do?" Jude groaned.

"No, it wasn't anything you did." Thea said, "Last night in the club when I was looking for the bathroom in the back. A staff bathroom." She said, "I stumbled into like the office and there were a group of people standing round a desk with a woman sitting behind it. And she just… she gave me this look." Thea shook her head, "I don't know, it was weird." She said as Jude raised a brow.

"Maybe because people aren't supposed to go where staff go in a club?" Jude suggested.

"Yeah, I know that but it was different." Thea said, "She just had this weird look on her face." She shook her head.

"I'm sure a lot of people had weird faces in a club at 2am." Jude said, "You're just paranoid."

"Maybe." Thea nodded, watching as the guy wandering around the apartment came back out of the bathroom, stretching and yawning as Jude turned around.

"Are you two sisters?" He smiled, looking over at them as they both turned around in sync.

"Yes." Jude said, looking at him.

"Never done it with sisters before." He smirked to them both as Jude rolled her eyes.

"I don't know who you are but you are disgusting." Thea nodded to him as he winked, walking back into the bedroom as she shook her head.

"She sure knows how to pick them." Jude shook her head, sipping her coffee, "Oh, shit." She groaned to herself.

"What?" Thea looked at her.

"I told dad I would text him when we got home safe last night." Jude groaned.

"You're not twelve." Thea chuckled.

"I know but he… he worries." Jude waved her hand as Thea looked at her suspiciously.

"About me?" Thea assumed as Jude looked at her, "He's gotta trust me at one point."

"He does trust you. He doesn't trust other people." Jude said, "Where is my phone?" She groaned, standing up from the couch and looking around for her purse.

"Ok, I won't lie to you." Thea said whilst Jude looked for her phone, "It fucking sucks that I can't go out and have a drink." She nodded, "Especially now that you're older and you're going out more. But for me to accept it, I can't just avoid it all completely. I can't take myself out of those situations completely." She said, "I don't think anyone understands that." She said.

"I get it." Jude nodded, finding her phone and walking back over to the couch, sitting down on it beside her sister.

"Mom and dad don't." Thea shook her head.

"They just worry about you." Jude nodded, "Which isn't a bad thing."

"What are you texting him?" Thea asked.

"Just that we had a fun night." Jude shrugged as Thea nodded.

"Well I should probably get home." Thea said, "We're taking James to feed the donkey's."

"He's three months old." Jude shook her head with confusion.

"What about it?" Thea said, "It's fresh air." She shrugged, "Plus I really wanna feed the donkey's." She nodded, standing up from the couch as Jude chuckled.

"I will be here, eating leftovers and crying about my headache." Jude groaned.

"You have fun with that." Thea nodded.

"Hey, I had fun last night." Jude kicked Thea playfully as Thea smiled.

"Yeah I had fun too." Thea smiled, "Few years and we'll get Cassie in on this too."

"Really push dad over the edge." Jude nodded, looking at her phone, "He sent me back the raised eyebrow emoji." She chuckled to herself as Thea shook her head.

"I gotta go, my donkeys are waiting." Thea said, "Enjoy your leftovers." She hummed, seeing herself out of the apartment whilst Jude groaned, sliding further down the couch again to rest her painful head.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked, noticing his mother approaching him whilst he was working on the docks.

"You got a minute?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Punk nodded, walking over to the side with her, "What's up?"

"I heard something." Sam said as Punk looked at her with confusion.

"You heard what?" Punk questioned.

"Marina is back." Sam nodded as Punk looked across at her, "I saw her the other day."

"You saw her?" Punk asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm sure it was her." Sam nodded, "Why would she be back?"

"Why are you asking me that as if I know?" Punk asked, "I haven't saw her since before I was put in prison. I don't know why she's back and I don't want to." Punk said, about to walk away.

"Well what if she comes back into contact with you?" Sam asked as Punk turned to her, "We all know how that ended last time." She said, "What are you going to do?"

"Are you sure it was even her?" Punk shook his head.

"Yes, I'm sure." Sam said, "Do you think she's gonna come talk to you-"

"About what?" Punk looked at his mother, "Huh?"

"You know what." Sam spat as Punk shook his head.

"No… no, I don't know why she's back and I don't care. I'm staying out of it." Punk said.

"You think she still owns the club?" Sam asked.

"God, I don't know, mom. I don't." Punk said with frustration, "I don't wanna talk about her. If she's here, fine. But I want nothing to do with it." He said.

"Forgive me for being a little concerned about this woman being back in Chicago." Sam spat, "After what happened last time, do you blame me?"

"No." Punk sighed, "No, I don't… but it's not my concern. Look, I know how dealers work. Once you do a couple rounds in prison, they don't go back to you." Punk nodded, "It's how Rio used to operate." He nodded, "She won't want to come near me, believe me-"

"Well I don't." Sam said, "I don't trust her." She said.

"Look, you're too old to be getting involved in this anyway-"

"Excuse me, boy. I only turned sixty last month." Sam folded her arms.

"Exactly. Old." Punk nodded, "Just… mind your damn business." He scoffed.

"Oh, well how dare I be concerned about my son and his family's well-being." Sam said, "I can't win with you. I don't show concern or affection, you get mad. I do show concern and affection, you still get mad." Sam threw her hands up in the air.

"It's not like that." Punk shook his head, "What do you want me to do about this?" He asked as Sam looked at him with confusion.

"Wait…" Sam paused, "Did you know she was back?" She questioned as Punk looked across at her, "You did, didn't you?"

"What does it matter?" Punk asked.

"Have you spoken to her?" Sam asked.

"No, of course I haven't. Someone told me she was back, ok. And I'm not confronting it. She's not gonna come near me." Punk nodded.

"You're so sure?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Odds are she's not gonna stick around long anyway." Punk said, "I can't do anything about it. I can't run her out of town." He said, "And I don't want the girls knowing. None of them. We don't need the drama or the stress-"

"So like always, you're just gonna carry the burden on your own?" Sam asked, "That's why you ended up in such a bad state, Phil-"

"I got work to do." Punk shook his head, walking away as Sam shook her head with concern as she watched him.

* * *

"Hey, Lucy… could you see if my diary is free tomorrow afternoon for a meeting?" AJ asked, watching as her assistant came into her office with some paper work to file.

"Sure." Lucy smiled as AJ nodded, sitting behind her desk.

"How was your birthday?" AJ asked, taking the files from her.

"It was great. Thanks for letting me take the day off." Lucy nodded as AJ smiled.

"That's ok." AJ nodded, "Everyone deserves to have their birthday off." She said as Lucy smiled.

"There's actually someone who wants to speak to you. I don't know her name but she said she knows you. Shall I send her in?" Lucy asked as AJ looked on curiously.

"Uh… yeah, sure." AJ nodded, waving her hand as she opened up some of the folders.

"Do you want some coffee?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine, sweetie. Thank you." AJ smiled as Lucy nodded, leaving the office.

AJ could remember upon the time where she was doing the coffee runs and the filing for the office. Now she practically ran it. It wasn't easy and it certainly didn't happen overnight. She'd worked hard for a lot of years to become incredibly successful. It also made it all the more special given where she had come from, having been homeless at a time in her life.

She continued to file away some folders, listening as her door opened up.

She looked up from the files, her hands dropping them as she stared on at the woman walking into her office.

"Hi, April." Marina smiled, closing the door over behind her.


	10. Posted

**Posted**

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?" AJ stood up immediately as Marina smiled, wandering into the office.

"Just a friendly visit." Marina smiled across at her as AJ stared at her, "Don't look so nervous."

"Don't look so nervous?" AJ questioned, "The last time you were here you tore my family apart. In ways that I… I can't even begin to tell you." She said as Marina looked across at her.

"Did that on your own, sweetheart." Marina nodded, "I see you're still blaming everyone around you for your own mistakes-"

"You dragged Phil into this. You dragged my family back into a world where we had left. We grew and learned from." AJ said, "And he had to pay yet again for someone else's mistakes-"

"No, he was paying for his own." Marina nodded, "I don't know what kind of world you live in, but he was a drug dealer. That simple." She said, "And you were happy to sit by and watch him-"

"You were blackmailing us." AJ screwed her eyes up, "What did you expect us to do?" She questioned as Marina smiled, "Why the hell are you back?"

"To see how my club is doing." Marina said as AJ looked at her.

"You still own that club?" AJ questioned.

"Yeah. Had to change some things for legal reasons." Marina shrugged, "But it's still very much my club." She said.

"You're still dealing?" AJ asked her.

"What do you think?" Marina smiled as AJ looked across at her, "Why? Looking for a job?" She teased as AJ shook her head.

"Leave my family alone. You've done enough-"

"Sweetheart, I didn't do anything." Marina laughed a little, "You have a terrible, terrible habit of playing the victim. And that's not how I remember you as a kid." She said, "Phil got in trouble because he chose that life when he was younger. It catches up to you. You don't escape it. And he knew that at the time."

"He was a child with no money. He… We had no idea what we were doing or what we were getting into. We thought Rio was our friend." AJ said, "We didn't want any of this."

"Well you should have thought long and hard about that." Marina nodded, "They used to put posters of drawings of you up at the L stops." Marina said, looking around the office, "Warning people about a thief." She said as AJ looked across at her, "And now look at you." She nodded.

"Things were different back then." AJ defended, "I was a kid. I didn't have a home. Or… or a family." She said, "I was doing what I could."

"Of course you were." Marina nodded, "I don't blame you." She shrugged.

"Why did you come to my office?" AJ questioned.

"I saw your daughter last night. I don't know which one. She had a tattoo on the side of her hand." Marina said as AJ shook her head with confusion.

"Thea." AJ nodded quietly, "Where?"

"In my club. I think she got lost on her way to the bathroom, ended up in my office." Marina said, "I knew it was your daughter just by looking at her."

"What the hell did you say to her?" AJ spat.

"Relax." Marina groaned, "Nothing. I just sent her on her way." She said as AJ looked across at her.

"You stay the hell away from my kids." AJ spat as Marina put her hands up.

"If you don't come into my yard, I won't come into yours." Marina nodded as AJ looked across at her, "How is Phil?"

"None of your business." AJ spat, "Get out of my office and don't come back."

"How is your grandson?" Marina asked as AJ looked across at her.

"What?" AJ spat.

"Let me see…" Marina leaned her hands on the desk, "There's Thea, Dominic, little James. There's Jude. Jude lives with a friend called Kirsty. There's Cassie. Then there's Dean. Renee. Chrissy, who lives on college campus. Sarah. There's also Sam." Marina nodded as AJ gulped, "That's a lot of leverage-"

AJ grabbed her by the neck of her blouse, yanking her towards her, the table dividing them as AJ glared at her.

"Go near any of them, my family, and I will kill you." AJ spat, "I promise." She said as Marina smiled, feeling AJ let her go as she straightened up.

"Please." Marina scoffed, brushing her hands over her blouse, fixing herself after AJ grabbed her, "It's been fifteen years. I don't want anything to do with your family." She nodded, "Doesn't mean I don't keep tabs."

"Well that's pretty sad." AJ nodded, "Maybe you should use that energy for your own life and your own family." She said as Marina nodded with a telling smile.

"Oh, I do." Marina nodded, "I'll see you around, April." She smiled, backing away slowly towards the door as AJ watched her.

AJ immediately sat back down once she had left the office, putting her shaky hands over her mouth and closing her eyes. It was like the ghost of Christmas past, with all of the horrid memories that came with it.

* * *

"You knew she was back?" AJ asked, standing in the kitchen later that night with her husband.

"Yes, I knew she was back." Punk nodded.

"And you never thought it would be wise to tell someone about it?" AJ questioned.

"What's there to tell?" Punk asked, "She's back. Let's all stress about it together and start imagining scenarios-"

"So yet again, you're just gonna take all of this onto your shoulders, and not talk to anyone about it?" She questioned.

"What is there to talk about?!" Punk shouted a little, "She's not doing anything. We can't all get paranoid just because she's moved back-"

"She knows all our names. Where we all live. Who we live with. She is watching us." AJ said, "If she was going to really leave us alone, she wouldn't be doing that."

"She's just trying to scare you. It's what they do." Punk shook his head.

"I don't wanna be scared." AJ looked at him as he looked across at her, "I am sick of this. I am sick of it." She nodded, "I want rid of her." She paced the kitchen as Punk groaned, running his hands over his face.

"Well I can't run her out of town." Punk said, "I'm no use to her anymore. I'm a loose cannon. She's not gonna want me to work for her-"

"Mom." Cassie walked into the kitchen, holding something.

"Yeah, you're damn right she's not gonna have you working for her." AJ shook her head.

"Mom." Cassie shook her head as Punk and AJ turned to her.

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"Uh… this… this was posted in my locker at school." She said, holding a small business card in her hand.

"What is it?" Punk asked her as Cassie sat the card down on the table as they both looked on at it.

"W-What…" AJ paused, looking on at the business card, turning to Cassie who shrugged, equally turning back to Punk whose veins were slowly becoming more visible.

* * *

"Is that fun? You like watching these?" Thea smiled, sitting on the floor with James who was lying on his little mat, watching the toys above him with fascination.

"Which is your favourite?" Thea talked to him, lying down beside him on the floor, "I like this one." She said softly, tapping the little stuff lamb toy, "Or this one." She tapped the giraffe, watching as James looked up closely.

"I know this one is daddy's favourite." Thea said, tapping the lion, smiling as she watched James wriggle cutely, moving his little legs and arms around, "You have a lion on your t-shirt too." She said, propping herself up on her elbow, laying on her side as she watched James.

"Right here." Thea smiled, touching the lion on his little t-shirt, "I think aunt Jude bought you this. It's hard to keep up." She spoke to herself, "You're gonna grow out of all of these so fast." She hummed, listening to the sound of something being posted through the letterbox.

She got up from the floor, wandering out of the living room and into the doorway, noticing three small cards on the floor which had been posted through.

"What the hell." She mumbled with confusion, crouching down and picking them up, walking back into the living room, her walk slowing down as she read what was on each card.

* * *

"Hey, is this mail for me?" Jude asked, having just got home from being at college, walking into the kitchen where Kirsty was making dinner.

"I sat whatever mail was yours on the table." Kirsty pointed as Jude nodded, "How was class?"

"A little pointless. Should have just stayed here and caught up with work." Jude shook her head, putting her keys down and taking her jacket off, "What you making?" She asked.

"Spaghetti. Found a recipe online." Kirsty held her phone up.

"You need a recipe for spaghetti?" Jude scoffed.

"Hey, I burn toast. I need a recipe for everything." Kirsty nodded as Jude shook her head, walking over to the table and picking up some mail.

"Oh, I think this is our tax rebate. Remember I called them up?" Jude said, opening up some of the mail.

There was a whole lot more to running an apartment than just cooking and cleaning themselves. But they seemed to be working through it pretty well. They were wise and sensible with their money, and it was a pretty good set up.

"Oh, yeah. How long ago was that?" Kirsty asked.

"Like months ago. I was actually talking to my dad about it the other day. He said to phone them up but… looks like we won't have to." Jude said, opening up the envelope and looking through it.

She sat it down, looking at the other mail, pausing when she noticed a small business card on the table.

"We could use that money to fix the shower." Kirsty said.

"What the hell is this?" Jude shook her head, picking up the card as Kirsty looked over, "Is this your idea of a joke?" She asked.

"What?" Kirsty shook her head.

"What the hell is this?" Jude asked, looking on at the small card.

It was a business card for a local crematorium, which had 'RIP Jude Brooks' written on the back of it.

"What are you talking about?" Kirsty walked over to Jude who was staring at the business card, "Ok, I… I have nothing to do with that." She shook her head as Jude looked at the card, "I just picked up all the mail from downstairs and sat it there." She promised as Jude looked at the card.

"What the hell." Jude shook her head.

"Who would do that?" Kirsty asked, horrified as Jude shook her head, sitting down at the table and running her hands through her hair.


	11. Family Meeting

**Family Meeting**

* * *

"What the hell is this?" Thea spat, throwing down the three cards in her parents kitchen whilst Dominic followed behind holding baby James.

"I got one too." Jude nodded, having already arrived, waving her card around that she was holding.

"So did I." Cassie said, sitting down at the table with AJ whilst Punk was stood looking on.

"Look at this." Thea spat angrily, sliding one particular card along as her parents looked at it.

AJ picked it up and sighed as she saw what was written on it. It seemed all the more cruel to see her grandson's name written on one of these cards with RIP in front of it. One of these horrid, threatening cards. Something so small that meant something so wicked and evil.

"What's going on, dad?" Jude asked, "Apparently someone is preparing for all of our funerals." She tossed her card onto the table with the others.

"Yeah, I… I'd like to know what's going on." Dominic nodded with concern.

"I don't know what's going on." Punk nodded to them, "I don't." He said, "I know that someone who… who I used to work for is back in Chicago." He nodded.

"Who?" Thea questioned as Punk looked at them, "Come on, we are not little girls anymore. My son's name is on this." Thea said seriously, "If there is something going on you need to tell all of us." She nodded.

"Thea, I don't know what's going on." Punk said honestly, "I worked for Marina before I got put in prison." He said as Cassie looked across at her mother. It was still very apparent that Cassie didn't know the full story like the rest of them.

"And now what? She's back and wants you to work for her again?" Thea asked, "What does she want?"

"We don't even know that this is her." AJ said.

"Oh, because you two have so many enemies, right?" Thea nodded, "Never in my life have I been so affected by someone else's actions, my entire life." She looked across at Punk who nodded to himself.

"Calm down." Dominic told her as Thea folded her arms, shaking her head angrily.

"Call the police." Jude shrugged, "It's the only way. Let's not be stupid about this." She nodded.

"Police won't help." Punk shook his head.

"Why not?" Jude shook her head, "It's the police. It's their job to help-"

"Not people like me, it isn't." Punk shook his head, "They'll write it up in a report, the case file will say Brooks and it will get tossed to the bottom. No one will do shit." He said.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Thea questioned, "I'd like to avoid getting cremated sometime soon." She hissed.

"I could go talk to her." Punk nodded.

"Over my dead body." AJ looked over at him, "She is obviously up to something and I'm not having you risk anything. For all I know she could want you to come talk to her, set you up for something and then… off you go to prison for another eight years." AJ threw her hands up stressfully.

"Then I'll go." Thea said.

"Over my dead body." Punk stared at her angrily.

"And mine." Dominic added.

"And mine." AJ added as Thea rolled her eyes.

"Well I am not sitting around waiting on something bad happening." Thea made clear, "Why don't we all go?"

"Alright, ok." Punk heard enough, "This isn't some sort of family bonding experience." He said, "I don't want you girls involved in this. You have no idea what this stuff is really like." He said, "I want you nowhere near it."

"Too fucking late." Thea said, "Because we're already on someone's hit list now. My three month old son is too. Don't stand there and tell me that you don't want me involved. We're beyond that now." She said.

"I think everyone needs to calm down." AJ stood up, "Thea, your father is right. You don't know this world. You don't know what these people are like. We do. You don't just… go charging at them, believe me."

"Then what do we do?" Thea asked.

"Wait…" Jude paused, "Did you get cards?" She questioned her parents.

"No." AJ looked at them all, "We didn't." She said as Thea groaned, running her hands through her hair as Dominic rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"Dean and Renee didn't get any. But Chrissy and Sarah got them." Punk explained, "Your mom spoke to Marina this morning. She knows where you all live, who you live with, where you work and where you study." He explained as Jude groaned.

"Are people watching us?" Cassie asked with fear as Punk gulped. He knew his two eldest daughters were aware of this life, but Cassie wasn't so much, and to see her look so frightened was a horrifying sight.

"No, they're not watching us." Punk shook his head.

"Don't lie to her." Thea shook her head, "Of course they're watching us." She nodded as Cassie looked down whilst Punk rolled his eyes, massaging his head.

"Dad, what do we do?" Jude asked seriously.

"I gotta talk to her." Punk threw his hands up, looking over at AJ, "I gotta speak to her about it. Question her. That's… that's the only action I can take right now." He said as AJ looked across at him.

"Then I come with you." AJ shrugged.

"No." Punk said.

"Either we go together, or not at all." AJ stared at him seriously as Punk put his hands on his hips.

"Do you have any idea why she's doing this?" Jude asked, trying to be the diplomatic one, as usual.

"No." Punk shook his head, "But why do bad people do anything?" He shook his head stressfully, "She's moved back to Chicago to run her club again-"

"What club?" Thea questioned.

"Proxy." Punk said as Jude and Thea turned to each other.

"We were there at the weekend." Jude said.

"Oh my God." Thea raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"I… when I was looking for the bathroom I came across an office and… and the woman there she was staring at me so weird-"

"She told me she saw you." AJ nodded.

"What did she say to you?" Punk questioned angrily.

"Nothing. She… she directed me to the bathroom but she was staring at me so weird. It freaked me out." Thea said, "That's her? That's Marina?"

"Yeah." AJ nodded.

"So she's came back to run her club and… kill us?" Jude raised a brow.

"What the hell are you all talking about?" Cassie asked, starting to get stressed. The fact her older sisters knew what was going on and she didn't was alarming her. She wasn't dumb, she knew bad conversation when she heard it.

"It's ok, it's gonna be fine. It's just someone messing with us." AJ nodded to Cassie, sensing she was getting extremely uncomfortable, and she didn't blame her.

"She still deals." Punk nodded to them, "And she's running her club." He said, almost as if speaking to himself, talking himself through what they knew so far as they all listened surrounded in the kitchen.

"What would she get out of doing this to us?" Jude questioned, "I mean she… she can't want revenge… you didn't do anything to her. If anything, she was the one who messed with you." Jude said.

"All I can think of is that she wants me to work with her again. And this was a message to me that if I don't…" He took a deep breath.

"And so history repeats itself?" Thea questioned.

"No." AJ batted immediately, "It will never come down to that again." She made very clear, looking over at Punk who also nodded, "We'll take her down."

"You just said cops don't listen to you." Thea said.

"If we find the right one." AJ nodded to Punk who nodded back.

"So you two are gonna go talk to this woman?" Jude asked, "So why don't me and Thea go to the cops about it?"

"No, we can do it." Punk assured her.

"Jude has a point. They might take us more seriously." Thea said, "My last name isn't Brooks or Mendez anymore. I'm sure they'll listen to me." She nodded as Punk looked across at them, "Let us help. Let us do something." Thea begged as Punk nodded to himself.

"Ok. Ok, you guys go to the cops." Punk nodded, "Don't mention who you think it is. Just tell them that you all received those cards in the post. Tell them about Cassie getting hers in her school locker."

"You're speaking like I'm not even here." Cassie said as Jude looked on.

"Cass, it's ok." Jude nodded, "We're just... figuring out a plan." Jude nodded softly as Cassie sighed anxiously.

"We are fine." Punk agreed, "And we'll be fine." He nodded as AJ looked up at him. She knew her husband like the back of her hand. Better than she knew herself sometimes. And she knew he was scared right now. She was too. It was like reopening scars and wounds, that had never really healed in the first place.

"You look worried." Thea began to notice as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, well…" Punk nodded, scratching the back of his head, "We'll speak to her tomorrow. You guys go to the cops." He said.

"I have a friend of a friend who works at the station." Dominic nodded, "I'll see if we get a little more priority out of that." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, do that." Punk nodded, "You can stay here if you like or if you'd rather go home. Just check in with me and let me know you're all ok." He said as they nodded.

"We gotta go." Thea said, "Get him down for the night." She said as AJ nodded, smiling softly as she looked over at James.

AJ said goodbye to her grandson whilst Thea walked over to Punk.

"I won't let anything happen to you, or James, or Dominic." Punk said as Thea nodded.

"I know that." Thea said, "But you don't have to deal with this burden on your own." She said as Punk nodded.

"I'll sort it out." Punk nodded.

"We'll sort it out." Thea nodded, hugging him as Punk sighed, hugging her back, "I'll call when we get home." She told him as Punk nodded, kissing her head.

"I'll stay here tonight." Jude nodded to her parents who nodded back, "You wanna go watch a movie?" She asked Cassie who nodded, a little shaken up by what was going on. Jude took notice of that and figured she would go take her sister's mind off it.

AJ and Punk said goodbye to Thea and Dominic, leaving themselves in the kitchen on their own.

"Are you ok?" AJ asked him as Punk shook his head.

"No, I don't think so." Punk shook his head honestly as AJ looked at him, "The thought of anything happening to them. Cassie doesn't even know what's going on." He placed his hands in his hair, "I'm sick of my shit bringing everyone down-"

"Hey, stop that. It's not your shit. None of this was ever your fault, and it still isn't." AJ said, "This is bad people and their doings. Nothing to do with us." She said, taking his hands in his, "Look at me." She said as he looked down at her, "We'll figure this out. We'll fix it. No one is gonna get hurt." She said as Punk nodded.

"I promise I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make sure we're all safe." Punk said as AJ nodded, hugging into him as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.


	12. Storytime

**Storytime**

* * *

"You sure you don't want me to come in with you?" Dominic asked, sitting in the car with Thea and Jude. Baby James was asleep in his carrier in the back seat with Jude.

"No, it's fine. We can go in on our own." Thea nodded.

"We'll be fine." Jude nodded confidently.

"Ok." Dominic said, "You know what you've to say? Or… more so what you've not to say?" He asked them.

"Yeah." Thea nodded.

"I'll wait out here." Dominic nodded.

"We could be a while." Thea turned to him, "I'd rather you didn't wait." She nodded, "Why don't you take James home? I mean it'll be time for his bath soon." She looked at the time as Dominic nodded slowly.

"I'd feel much better if I waited on you." Dominic said.

"I'll be fine." Thea smiled, "I'll call you the second I'm out." She nodded, taking his hand in hers as he nodded.

"Alright, let's just get this shit show going." Jude scoffed, "See you later, Dom." She said, getting out of the car and closing the door over, looking on at the police station.

"We won't be too long." Thea nodded to Dominic, leaning over and kissing him sweetly as he kissed back, listening as Jude chapped on the door of the car window to hurry them up.

Thea rolled her eyes, pulling back from the kiss as she looked at Dominic.

"Just be careful what you say in there. They'll hold every single thing against you." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Thea sighed to herself, turning back to look at James who was sleeping in his carrier in the back seat, "Ok, I better go." She nodded.

"Call me." Dominic said as she nodded, getting out of the car and closing the door over.

"I am not looking forward to this." Jude sighed to herself, folding her arms as she looked on at the police station, turning to Thea who stood beside her.

"Me neither." Thea shook her head, "But I'm more worried about mom and dad going to talk to Marina." She admitted.

"They'll be fine." Jude nodded to herself, "Come on. Let's do this." She said as Thea nodded, walking into the police station with her sister, approaching the front desk as they waited for someone to come out to speak to them.

"Am I doing the talking or are you?" Thea whispered to Jude.

"I don't know. Do you wanna talk?" Jude whispered back.

"Yeah… well, I don't mind. Do you?" Thea asked, not noticing an old man standing over by the coffee machine, watching them.

"I'll do the talking." Jude scoffed.

"Ladies, what can I do for you?" A young policeman approached them as Jude smirked a little, looking up at him as Thea rolled her eyes.

"Uh… we're here to report a crime. We've being threatened." Thea stepped in.

"Threatened?" The policeman asked, "Physically?"

"Well… no, not physically but-"

"So verbally?" The policeman nodded.

"Not quite." Thea shook her head as the policeman arched a brow, "We have these cards. They were posted through our doors." She explained, taking the cards out and showing him, pausing for a second, "Don't you need to take us into a room or something?" She questioned.

"Depends." The policeman shrugged, smirking to Jude who smiled back as Thea watched. She then deliberately stood on her sister's foot with all her weight.

"Hey." Jude moaned a little as Thea glared at her.

"Ok, what are your names? Full names." The policeman nodded unenthusiastically, getting his notepad out as Thea looked at him.

"Jude." Jude smiled right away, "Brooks." She nodded.

"And I'm Thea Castillo." Thea nodded.

"Excuse me." The older man walked over to them, "Did you say Brooks?" He questioned as the girls looked at him with confusion.

"I did." Jude nodded, "Who is asking?" She raised a brow.

"Brooks as in… Phil Brooks?" He asked.

"Who is asking?" Thea repeated with more aggression, "Do I know you from somewhere?" She studied his face, looking at him closely as he chuckled a little.

"I'm Detective Hamilton." Hamilton nodded to them both.

"Retired." The policeman added in.

"Not that it matters." Hamilton scoffed, "Sean, set me up a room with these lovely young girls, please." Hamilton nodded.

"Alright." Sean nodded to himself, walking off to go set up a room in the back.

"If you're retired how can you help us?" Jude asked.

"Retired cops aren't useless cops." Hamilton scoffed, wandering away, "Follow me." He told them as they followed him through to the back of the station, into one of the interviewing rooms.

"You need anything else?" Sean asked Hamilton.

"No." Hamilton shook his head, "Girls come in and take a seat." He nodded as Thea and Jude walked into the room, sitting down at the desk, "In fact, get me Brooks files and Mendez's files." He nodded.

"Ok." Sean wandered away.

"We're not here to talk about our parents." Thea made clear, sitting down at the table with Jude, "We'd rather speak to someone who is actually working."

"I could be of much more use to you, believe me." Hamilton nodded, sitting down at the table, looking across at Thea, "I remember when you were a little girl. A baby." Hamilton looked across at her.

"You knew our parents?" Jude questioned as Hamilton chuckled a little.

"Well… I guess you could say that." Hamilton nodded.

"Here you go." Sean walked back into the room, dumping the large files onto the table as Thea and Jude widened my eyes, "And hey…" He stuck a piece of paper out in front of Jude, "This one isn't a threat." He smirked as Jude took it, looking on at the phone number written down.

"Oh, please." Thea scoffed whilst Jude smiled to him, watching as he left the room, "We came here to report a crime, not reminisce our parents criminal record." Thea made clear.

"What crime are you reporting?" Hamilton asked as Thea looked across at him.

"Something inside me is telling me not to trust you." Thea admitted whilst Jude looked over at the man.

"Hey, it's benefiting you right now that you're talking to me and not an actual registered cop." Hamilton said, "I can't hold anything against you. Whatever you say… I can't hold it against you." He said as Thea looked across at him.

"Why are you so interested?" Jude questioned.

"I'm just curious to know what crime Phil Brooks' daughters are reporting." Hamilton nodded, "Anything that happens to you two, I thought daddy would just deal with it." He said as Thea scoffed.

"This basically has nothing to do with our dad." Thea said as Hamilton chuckled.

"Sooner or later you'll realise that everything, at the very root, is to do with your father." Hamilton nodded as they both looked at him.

"Someone is threatening us." Jude said, "Posted these through our doors." She took the crematorium cards out, "Our little sister Cassie, she got one put in her locker at school." She said, sliding the cards over the table as Hamilton looked at them.

"Who is… James and Dominic?" Hamilton asked curiously.

"My husband and son." Thea said as Hamilton raised his eyebrows.

"That's how old I am, huh?" Hamilton hummed to himself, "Well this… certainly isn't very nice." He looked at the cards, "Your parents got them?"

"No, it was just us." Thea shook her head as Hamilton nodded, "I mean this isn't exactly light hearted. This is a threat if ever I've saw one. And I fear that we're not safe right now. Whoever sent these knows where live, they've been in our little sister's school." She said as Hamilton nodded slowly.

"Where is your dad right now?" Hamilton asked curiously.

"What does that matter?" Thea asked.

"Well, his daughter's get these threats… I'd imagine he's not sitting at home with his feet up watching the Cubs game." Hamilton said.

"Doesn't matter where he is." Jude said, "We're here to report this and have someone take it seriously." She made clear as Hamilton looked at her.

"Fair enough." Hamilton nodded, reaching over for one of the many folders sitting in front of him, "Let me see." He opened them all up as Thea and Jude looked on, "What was the first one…" He hummed to himself.

"We didn't come here for this." Thea spat.

"Here it is." Hamilton nodded fondly, opening up the file and throwing it down in front of them as Thea and Jude looked down, "Phillip Jack Brooks. Fifteen years old. Taken into custody after fighting in the streets, knocking another boy unconscious and sending him to the hospital." He said as Thea looked on.

"Everyone fights when they're a kid." Jude scoffed.

"Phillip Jack Brooks. Sixteen years old." Hamilton slammed another file down on top of it, "Taken into custody for shoplifting and assault on a police officer. Being me." Hamilton added as Jude looked on at the picture of their sixteen year old father.

"None of this matters to us." Thea made clear.

"April Jeanette Mendez." Hamilton pulled out a file, "Sixteen years old. Arrested for stealing a watch from an elderly man on the L. Who she then assaulted." He said as Jude looked on at the picture of their mother.

"This has nothing to do with what we're telling you." Jude said.

"April Jeanette Mendez. Sixteen years old. Phillip Jack Brooks. Sixteen years old. Dean Ambrose. Sixteen years old." He threw down a bigger file, "Arrested for shoplifting and assault on a shop keeper." He said, "Bailed out of jail by a Rio Martinez." He said as Thea folded her arms.

"What is your point?" Thea stared at him.

"Phillip Jack Brooks. Nineteen years old. Imprisoned for one year for supplying drugs." He threw down a file, "Phillip Jack Brooks. Thirty two years old. Imprisoned for eight years for distribution of class A drugs." He pulled out the file as Thea stared at the picture.

Jude looked at the picture of her father when he was fifteen, and the picture of him at thirty two.

"You tell me when you start seeing the pattern." Hamilton nodded.

"What pattern?" Thea questioned.

"The pattern of never learning from your mistakes." Hamilton spat as they both looked at him, "Take a look at this." He told them, taking out a crumpled up piece of paper which had the word warning written on it in bold.

"What is this?" Jude asked.

"Your mother." Hamilton nodded, "She used to steal on the L. All the time. We could never catch her because by the time we got a report, she would have already turned it to cash." He said, "So the L stops put up these drawings of her to warn people." He said as Jude looked at the drawing.

"I didn't know this." Jude mumbled, looking at the warning sign.

"Where these two go, trouble will follow." Hamilton said, "I always said it… when they had you kids, I felt bad for you all. Because I knew that one day, their mistakes would affect you. It's a cycle. Just like what happened with Phil and his mother, same thing is gonna happen to you-"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Thea questioned.

"Well sometimes I feel like I can't blame Phil for the way he is. After how he and his brother were treated as kids-"

"What are you talking about?" Jude asked as Hamilton looked at them both.

"Maybe I'm saying too much." Hamilton said.

"No, go on. You're the one giving us storytime here." Thea said as Hamilton looked at them.

"Well… these aren't the first police files to mention Phil's name." Hamilton said, digging down underneath, "I met your dad when he was five."

"Five? What did he do then? Assault you?" Jude questioned sarcastically.

"Not quite." Hamilton said, "Found him in his house. Beaten up." He said as Thea looked across at him, "One of his mother's boyfriends."

"What?" Jude shook her head, grabbing the file from Hamilton, opening it up and raising her eyebrows as she saw the graphic pictures of a horrifically beaten up little boy.

"Wasn't the last time either." Hamilton said, "Started happening to the both of them. Found Dean chained to the oven door one time." He nodded as Thea looked at the file, turning the page and placing her hand over her mouth as she saw more pictures.

"Oh my God." Thea gulped, feeling sick.

"Why the hell didn't social services do anything?" Jude spat.

"Because the boys used to run away." Hamilton nodded, "We arrested a few of his mother's boyfriends. I uh… I desperately wanted them both to get put into care of some sort. They didn't have a quality life at all. And then when they grew up, grew into teens, the more they spent away from their home was more time they spent doing things they shouldn't have been. Somewhere along the lines, your mother got involved too. I watched your dad go from a five year old little boy who… was so broken. To a sixteen year old delinquent who wanted to fight anyone and everyone." He said, "From then on I knew he was gonna dig his own grave."

"You did nothing to help them." Thea spat with disgust, putting the files down, "These little boys needed help. They needed someone to take them out of this situation."

"We did. Many times." Hamilton nodded, "They always went back. I don't know if it was because of their mom or if it was something else but they always went back." He said.

"What has this got to do with what we came here to tell you." Jude stared at him coldly whilst Thea continued to look at the files in shock.

"All I'm saying is… look at all of this." Hamilton nodded, "There's enemies left, right and centre." He said, "Odds are, whoever this who is threatening you… they know your father, and he most definitely will know them." He said as the girls looked at him, lost for words at all of this information, things they'd never been told or never knew about.

"You got your assumptions?" Jude asked.

"A hunch." Hamilton nodded.

* * *

"You good?" AJ asked Punk who nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just worried about the girls at the cops." Punk said, walking down the street with AJ, on track to Marina's club.

"Me too." AJ admitted, folding her arms, walking briskly down the street, "But they're big girls, they can handle it. More chance of them getting taken seriously than us."

"Yeah, you got that right." Punk nodded to himself, "This is it, right?" They came up to the club.

"I think so." AJ nodded, "You know what you're gonna say?"

"I'm gonna ask her. Plain and simple. Was it her." Punk nodded, walking around the side of the club down the narrow alleyway.

"I got a feeling this is gonna go in the wrong direction." AJ shook her head.

"It's gonna be fine." He nodded, taking her hand in his tightly, walking up to the side door.

"Is it opened?" AJ asked curiously.

"Yeah, I think so." Punk nodded, pulling the side door opened, "Wasn't shut properly." He said as AJ made a funny face of confusion.

They walked on into the club from the back, slowly walking down the quiet corridor.

"Why is it so quiet?" AJ whispered as Punk shook his head with confusion.

"I don't know." Punk said suspiciously, walking up to the office door and knocking on it, waiting around for an answer.

"Just go in." AJ shrugged as Punk nodded, opening up the door and walking into the office, pausing at the doorway as they looked on.

"Oh my God." Punk stepped back a little as AJ raised her eyebrows, looking on at Marina who was lying on the ground, blood around her, her eyes deadly wide and open, very much dead.

"Oh my God." AJ shook her head with shock.


	13. Common Enemy

**Common Enemy**

* * *

"He showed us all these files on my mom and dad." Thea said, pacing her bedroom where Dominic was sitting up on the bed against the headboard listening to her.

"I thought you knew your mom and dad don't have the cleanest record." Dominic said.

"Well I did but… not to that extent. There were so many files, Dominic. So many arrests. So many nights in jail." She said, "I mean I was just thinking it was a one off thing." She shook her head.

"Why were they even showing you that?" Dominic questioned.

"It was some retired cop who knew them. He spoke to us. Basically told us that we're doomed because those are our parents." Thea shrugged.

"Well that's not very helpful. You need someone to take you seriously." Dominic shook his head angrily.

"That's the thing. He did take it seriously. He believed us and understood." Thea nodded, "He wasn't surprised."

"Well did he say he'd do anything?" Dominic questioned.

"Yeah. He filed it as a report and there's a police car outside our house. Outside Jude's and outside my mom and dad's." Thea said, "But he basically said this was inevitable. And that most likely my dad will know who this person is."

"This is such bullshit." Dominic shook his head as Thea nodded.

"He also told us some other things." Thea said, sitting up on the bed beside him.

"What?" Dominic asked.

"My dad and… my uncle were like… really abused when they were younger." Thea said, "By Sam's boyfriends." Thea said as Dominic frowned, "He showed us the files from it, the pictures…" She shook her head, still not being able to unsee it, "I'm not talking a cut head or a bruise on the cheek." Thea shook her head, "Drenched in blood."

"When the hell was this?" Dominic asked.

"When they were little. One time they found my Uncle Dean chained to the oven door." Thea shook her head, "It was really bad." She turned to him.

"Your dad never talked to you about it?" Dominic asked.

"No, not that. I don't even know if my mom knows." Thea said, "You know my dad, keeps everything to himself." Thea shook her head.

"Wouldn't they have put them into care or something? If it was so bad like that." Dominic said.

"Well according to this cop, they did, many times. But they always ran away or ended up back at the house." Thea said, "Makes sense why they ended up just being homeless." Thea shook her head.

"Didn't their mom know what was going on?" Dominic shook his head.

"Probably not. She was an awful mom." Thea nodded, "She was never there for them."

"That's awful." Dominic shook his head, "You think he remembers it?"

"Well the last record there is of them going to the house to check on them was when he was ten." Thea said, "So yeah, probably."

"It happened more than once?" Dominic questioned.

"There were… a lot of files." Thea gulped, "Why didn't anyone help them?" She shook her head angrily, "Why weren't they just taken away and put into foster care. Where they'd be safe." She shook her head angrily.

"It's awful." Dominic nodded.

"I can't stop seeing the pictures." Thea shook her head as Dominic placed his hand on her leg comfortingly.

"Is Jude ok?" Dominic asked.

"She didn't really say much. He showed us a little more files and then he got one of the police officers to come in and take our details, file the report and make sure we had cops outside our house." Thea nodded, "I mean I know technically, there isn't much they can do right now." She said, "But if he says that most likely my dad will know who it is… sounds to me like my dad is gonna be of more help than the cops." She turned to him as Dominic nodded.

"Odds are it's Marina." Dominic said, "Right?"

"I have no idea." Thea shook her head, "Is it weird that I hope it's her?" She asked him.

"No, I think it'd be good to know what we're dealing with here." Dominic agreed, "I wonder how your mom and dad got on talking to them."

"I've called them three times but they've not picked up." Thea said, "But I know they can both be useless with their phones." She convinced herself, "I just can't get those pictures out of my head." She rubbed her forehead sadly, "They were so little."

"Did they ever catch the people who did it?" Dominic asked.

"They got a few." Thea nodded, "My concern is that… other things happened to them too." She turned to him.

"I know." Dominic nodded, "But I don't think that's something you can ask your dad." He told her truthfully, "I mean it's obviously scarring enough but… when you don't know the full story. That's a tough subject to bring up and I… I don't know how he'd react. Sometimes you gotta leave those things alone. Leave it up to the person to talk about it."

"I know. Of course I wouldn't say anything." Thea sighed, "It's just so sad." She shook her head.

"I reckon your mom knows." Dominic nodded.

"Yeah?" Thea questioned.

"Yeah." Dominic nodded, "He tells her everything." He said.

"I don't know if he'd tell her this." Thea said, "He's not had an easy life." She sighed, "You think it all comes down to childhood?"

"Sometimes, yeah." Dominic nodded, "I mean who's to say if he had a better mom and a more stable home that he'd… he'd end up on the streets getting to know the worst people." He said, "But I don't strike your dad as the type to look back and wish different things happened."

"He's definitely not." Thea agreed, "He just… he made these terrible mistakes when he was young and it feels like he's paying for it for the rest of his life." She shook her head, "It's not fair."

"It's not." Dominic agreed, "But he can't get in trouble for anything right now, because he's not done anything. So don't worry."

"I am worried." Thea sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

"What do you mean she's dead?" Dean questioned, standing in his kitchen with AJ and Punk.

"I mean… we walked into her office and she was dead, on the ground." Punk said whilst AJ sat at the kitchen table, still in shock.

"Did anyone see you?" Dean asked worriedly.

"No, no the club was empty." Punk nodded, "And the CCTV cameras were all smashed up so… no one knows we were there." He said.

"How'd she die? She was just lying there?" Dean questioned.

"Looked like she'd been shot maybe." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Who would have shot her?" Dean shook his head.

"I got no idea." Punk said, "I didn't really count on us having the same enemy."

"Is that what you think?" Dean asked, "You think whoever killed her is the one sending those cards to us?" He asked.

"It's gotta be." AJ nodded, "Unless it was Marina and someone else took care of her. I don't know." AJ shook her head, feeling exhausted and overcome with shock and fear, "But she's dead. Someone went into her office and killed her." She made clear to them both, "If that doesn't worry you both then I don't know what could."

"I'm worried, believe me." Punk shook his head, "I've never pissed anyone off to the point where they wanna kill me and my family. I know I haven't." Punk said, "All the shit that happened was when we were kids and all those people moved on." He said, "Or… died." He scoffed.

"So let's say hypothetically speaking, maybe it was Marina and now she's been dealt with. Problem solved." Dean said.

"What is the real likelihood of that?" AJ asked, "I don't think she was out to get us. When I spoke to her… yeah, she talked a big game but that's just who she is. Why would she have sent those cards to us if she was feuding with someone else?" AJ questioned, "It doesn't make sense."

"Did the girls go to the cops?" Dean asked.

"Shit." Punk nodded, "Yeah… yeah, they went." He took his phone out, "I got three missed calls from Thea." He noticed.

"We should check on them on the way home." AJ nodded to Punk.

"What do we do?" Dean asked them, "Just keep our ear to the ground and our eyes opened?" He questioned.

"The streets will buzz once Marina is found." Punk nodded, "We can find out what happened and go from there." Punk said.

"What if…" AJ paused for a moment, "What if the person who killed Marina is the person who sent those cards?" She looked at them both, "Common enemy?" She asked.

"And which common enemy would that be?" Punk asked.

"I don't know." AJ said with deflation, clasping her hands over her mouth, "I don't know." She sighed.

"Let's just wait until we get more information about what happened to Marina." Dean nodded, "Go from there."

"Was Cassie ok here?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, I think she's asleep upstairs. I'll make sure she gets to school tomorrow." Dean assured them as they nodded.

"Thanks." Punk nodded, "It's difficult keeping it from her. She knows something is going on but… I just don't want her to worry." Punk sighed to himself.

"We'll get this figured out." Dean nodded, "And hey, maybe the cops will take it more seriously if it's coming from Thea and Jude."

"I'm not bargaining on it." AJ shook her head.

"Just look out for each other." Dean nodded, "We'll be fine." He said, wrapping his arms around AJ and giving her a hug as AJ hugged back.

"We should go and stop by Thea and Jude's." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah." AJ agreed.

"Call me, let me know what the cops said." Dean said, embracing his brother as Punk nodded, scratching Dean's hair playfully and nodded.

"Ok." Punk nodded, heading out of the kitchen with AJ and leaving the house.


	14. Date

**Date**

* * *

"How do I look?" Jude asked, standing in her sister's kitchen, showing her outfit to Thea who was sitting feeding James.

"I find this ridiculous that you manage to squeeze in a date during all of this." Thea shook her head.

"A date with a cop." Jude nodded, "Does your dumb ass think I'm gonna pass on that?" She shook her head, "How do I look?" She asked again.

"You look… really good." Thea nodded, "But ditch that jacket and wear my leather one." She advised.

"I was thinking that." Jude nodded.

"Do mom and dad know you're going on a date with a cop?" Thea asked.

"No. They know I'm going on a date but not with a cop." Jude said, "So keep your trap shut." She warned as Thea shook her head.

"What's his name again?" Thea asked.

"Sean." Jude said, "I'm meeting him at the Three Dots." She said as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"First date and you get the Three Dots?" Thea nodded, impressed, "You gonna go home with him?"

"Maybe, I don't know." Jude shrugged, digging through her purse for some lip gloss and her compact mirror as Dominic came into the kitchen, "Haven't had sex in a while." Jude said, not noticing him.

"I'm in the room." Dominic announced as Jude turned around, "Where you going all dressed up?" He asked.

"I got a date." Jude nodded.

"Yes, we're receiving death threats by a mystery person but Jude needs to go on a date." Thea nodded.

"Well what do you want me to do about it? Life can't just stop." Jude said, "If a fine ass policeman wants to take me on a date, I am going on that date."

"He's a cop?" Dominic asked as Jude nodded, "You could get the scoop on what's going on with that girl who was murdered." He said.

"Oh, yeah." Thea sat up with interest.

"No way." Jude said, "I'm going on this date to take my mind off of all of this. Not talk about it." She shook her head as Thea and Dominic both looked at each other and huffed childishly, "What are you two doing tonight anyway?"

"Going to mom and dad's for dinner. They invited us." Thea said.

"Well you have fun with that." Jude said.

"Are you walking to the bar on your own?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah." Jude nodded.

"We'll drop you off on our way to your parents." Dominic said.

"If it gives you peace of mind." Jude said, "Now let me get a hug from my nephew." She said, walking over and scooping up her nephew from Thea, "Oh, you get cuter every day, little guy." Jude smiled.

"I do agree with that." Thea nodded as Dominic smiled.

"Are you still not gonna tell dad about Hamilton showing us all those records?" Jude asked.

"I don't think so." Thea shook her head, "I don't think it serves a purpose right now, and I don't wanna upset him or hurt him. He's already stressed enough." She said as Jude nodded.

"Do you think mom knows?" Jude asked.

"I think so." Thea said as Dominic nodded with her, "He tells her everything."

"Yeah, I guess." Jude nodded, looking down at James, "Hey, you." She whispered with a smile, taking James' hand sweetly in hers.

"I'll get his jacket." Dominic nodded to Thea who smiled and nodded, watching him leave the kitchen.

"Putting everything else aside right now, you have fun on this date." Thea nodded as Jude smiled, "He is very easy on the eyes."

"Mhm." Jude nodded in agreement, "I spoke to him on the phone last night for like an hour. He's really sweet. Super funny." She said as Thea nodded with a smile.

"Well I hope you have a nice time." Thea nodded seriously as Jude smiled.

* * *

"I thought you only liked these when you were pregnant." AJ shook her head, watching Thea take a spring roll out of the Chinese take-out box on the kitchen table.

"Yeah, the craving didn't really go away." Thea admitted, "I could literally just eat these all night." She admitted as AJ chuckled.

"Well don't get too carried away. We got proper meals waiting to be opened." She nodded to all the food they'd gotten for later.

"Don't underestimate how much I can eat." Thea said as AJ smiled, "You heard any more about Marina's death?" She asked her mother.

Punk was in the living room with Dominic and Cassie, as well as James.

"Just that they're treating it as a murder investigation. The club has been closed down for the time being." AJ said as Thea nodded.

"Well I should think so." Thea nodded.

"You heard anything from the cops?" AJ asked.

"No. Nothing." Thea shook her head, "And I don't think we will. Not unless they catch who killed Marina and they confess to sending those cards." She said as AJ nodded, "You guys really couldn't even take a guess as to who it could be?"

"Babe, I haven't ran with that circle since I was a teenager. I had you and that world became foreign to me. Even your dad is the same. Doesn't have a clue who it could be." AJ said.

"For someone to practically threaten all of us, there's gotta be something there. There's gotta be history." Thea shook her head, "I just… I don't get it." She sighed.

"You and me both." AJ nodded.

"How is dad?" Thea asked her.

"He's doing ok." AJ nodded, "You know him… his main priority is everyone else right now. He doesn't let Cassie go out on her own. He drops me to and from work. Comes and checks on me at lunch. Calls Cass almost every hour of the day." AJ said, "He's just worried about all of us."

"Me too, honestly." Thea said, "Makes me wanna just get out of here."

"Trust me, we've thought about it before." AJ nodded.

"When?" Thea asked curiously.

"Just after we had Jude. We thought about having a fresh start somewhere completely new." She nodded, "Not that we were trying to run or hide from anything. We weren't." AJ said, "Turns out you need a lot of money to do that so… it didn't go much further than a conversation." AJ shrugged, "Can't help think now that it could have done us some good." She shook her head.

"You can't look back and think about what you could have done different." Thea shook her head.

"I know." AJ nodded, "We just all need to stick together right now." She said as Thea nodded.

"Hey, do you know he smiles like all the time now?" Punk walked into the kitchen, holding James in his arms.

"Do I know? I spend all day with this little monster. Of course I know." Thea smiled.

"You girls never smiled as much as he does. You were grumpy babies." Punk said.

"Jude was a grumpy baby." AJ corrected as Punk nodded.

"Hey, how has Cassie been doing? I know she was asking a lot of questions." Thea said.

"She's ok." Punk nodded, "We gave her a brief rundown of things, just so she doesn't feel alienated by the whole thing." He said as Thea nodded, "We were thinking maybe you and Jude could talk to her one night. Just to assure her."

"Yeah, I was thinking that too." Thea said, "I don't want her to feel like we're not telling her things." She said as Punk and AJ nodded.

"So this date that Jude is on…" Punk said curiously, "What's the guy like?"

"Oh, that's not for me to say." Thea put her hands up, "I'm gonna go talk to Cassie." She said, leaving the kitchen as Punk scoffed, turning to AJ who just smiled softly.

They were still waiting on updates about Marina's death. The only thing they could do was group together and be there for each other. Protect each other. Family and unity was key in all of it. It really helped balance out the fear that came with the situation.

Thea walked into the living room where Cassie was sitting talking to Dominic on the couch. She felt lucky that her husband got along so well with her family. Both her sisters and parents. It really helped when it came to things like this. Not that she expected this to be a regular occurrence.

"Hey, why don't you go help my parents dish out dinner. They got James in the kitchen so they'll need a hand." Thea said to Dominic who nodded.

"Sure." Dominic smiled, kissing her head on the way by, leaving the living room as Thea sat down beside Cassie.

She'd never say her relationship with Cassie was distant, but due to the huge age gap and the fact she no longer stayed at home, it really did impact their relationship. She still loved her baby sister and spent time with her, helped her and protected her with everything.

The age gap meant when Cassie was just going into high school, Thea was already married and pregnant with James. Being at two very stages of their lives did have an impact on their relationship, but the bond and love was still very much there.

"Did they tell you to come talk to me?" Cassie asked Thea.

"No." Thea scoffed as Cassie rolled her eyes, "Look, I know you know what's going on. And yeah, it sucks. It's not fair and it's not our fault." She made clear, "But we gotta stick together and be there for each other right now." She said as Cassie just nodded.

She had always been a quiet girl. The quietest out of the three of them. She kept her head down but took everything in.

"Where is Jude?" Cassie asked.

"She's on a date." Thea scoffed as Cassie laughed a little, "With a cop. Don't tell dad."

"A cop?" Cassie laughed a little as Thea smiled and nodded, "Is he hot?"

"He's… good looking. Yeah." Thea nodded, "Hey, you know that… you can always come talk to me. I might be a little further away than before but I'm still your big sister." Thea nodded, leaning her head back on the couch as she looked at Cassie, "And I'm always here for you." She said as Cassie smiled and nodded. It was almost like having three mother's sometimes.

"I know." Cassie nodded. She knew her big sisters were her biggest support system. Even if they were much older than her, she felt like she could always talk to them about anything and everything, and that was good to have.

"And if you ever wanna babysit James, you can totally do that too." Thea teased, wrapping her arm around Cassie who chuckled.

* * *

"So you're from Chicago?" Sean asked, sitting across from Jude in the bar, rounds of drink flowing at a steady pace with casual conversation. He was blown away by how beautiful she was, but also how interesting and sweet, funny and kind she was.

"Born and raised." Jude nodded.

"And you just got the one sister, right? The one you were with at the station?" Sean asked.

"No, I got two sisters." Jude said, "One big, one little."

"Oh, really?" Sean nodded.

"Yeah. My little sister is fifteen. Big age gap." Jude nodded.

"Same parents?" Sean asked as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, all three of us." Jude said, "What about you? Any siblings?" She asked.

She'd been on dates before, but nothing that ever worked out. She liked him from the second she saw him, which she knew was cliché but she couldn't help it. It helped that he was extremely charming and sweet.

"Yeah, I got a little sister." Sean nodded, "Just two years younger than me, though." He said.

"You close?" Jude asked.

"Yeah, as we've gotten older I guess." Sean nodded, "Not so much when we were younger."

"That's the same with me and my older sister." Jude nodded, "Couldn't stand her when I was younger." She chuckled.

"The power of growing up, huh?" Sean smiled, looking across at her, watching as she sipped on her drink. He was taken back by how beautiful she was. He'd never saw someone as beautiful as she was.

"So you're a cop?" Jude smiled as Sean chuckled a little at the abrupt question.

"Yeah." Sean nodded.

"Something you've always wanted to be?" Jude asked.

"I think so, yeah." Sean nodded, "I'm sort of new to the game. Only got taken off rookie watch last year. Swimming with the sharks on my own now." He said.

"I bet it's scary." Jude nodded.

"It can be, I guess." Sean nodded, "But you kinda get used to all the craziness that comes with it." He said as Jude nodded, looking across at him as he smiled to her, "You look insanely beautiful." He nodded, not being able to help say the words aloud.

"Oh." Jude smiled nervously, tucking her hair behind her ears as Sean watched. Just by her reaction, he could tell she wasn't used to hearing that, and he hated that.

"So you study art?" Sean smiled as Jude looked up and nodded.

"Yeah, at the institute." Jude said.

"Damn, that must have been difficult to get into." Sean said.

"It was a little." Jude nodded modestly.

"Any idea what you wanna do once you graduate?" Sean asked.

"I have no clue." Jude admitted, "It's a little different than other majors, I guess. There's not really a clear career path." She said, "Like my sister studied medicine and she became a doctor. Makes sense." She nodded, "But art is a little different."

"Well what's your favourite part about art?" Sean asked curiously.

"I don't know, I just… I love that you can tell a story with a piece of art. You can look at it and see something different from the person beside you. You can take away from it what you want." She nodded, "And art is like… everything. Music, sport, entertainment, performance… I think if you're doing something where people can look at it and… feel something special… it's art." Jude nodded as Sean looked across at her and smiled.

"Yeah, I can't really piece a career out of that for you." He teased as Jude chuckled, smiling to herself as he watched her, "I think it's super cool, though." He nodded.

"You do?" Jude asked as Sean nodded.

"Hell yeah." Sean said, "There's nothing better than seeing someone talk about something they're really passionate about. I try surround myself with people like that." He nodded.

"It's a good way to live." Jude nodded as he smiled and nodded, "How long have you been at the station then?" She asked.

"Well I've been there for three years but the first two were rookie years. A lot of supervision, lot of paper work, coffee runs." He scoffed as Jude nodded, "But now I'm getting let out my cage a little more. Getting put on more high profiled cases. Even got to work a little on the murder investigation going on right now. You know the Proxy club murder-"

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "Are they… making progress with that? I've not heard anything." Jude said. Of course she had to ask.

"I can't really say." Sean nodded.

"I shouldn't have asked." Jude groaned, "Sorry, I just-"

"No, you're fine." Sean assured her, "Lot of people are talking about it. We've got no one in custody yet, that's all I can say." He said as Jude nodded. Part of her didn't even want to ask. She just wanted to enjoy this date, because she was enjoying him and the conversation.

"Well I hope they can find whoever it was." Jude nodded.

"Yeah, me too." Sean said, "And I'm keeping tabs on the report you and your sister made. Don't worry." He nodded as she smiled.

"Thank you." Jude smiled as he nodded.

She took another sip of her drink, looking over at some couples dancing over in the corner under the twinkly lights of the dimly lit bar. It brought a smile to her face, because that was just the type of person she was.

Sean noticed, turning around to see what she was smiling at, noticing and smiling to himself too.

"You wanna dance?" Sean turned back to her.

"Huh?" Jude shook her head nervously, watching him stand up, extending his hand out to her, "Uh… ok." She nodded, taking his hand and standing up, walking over to the dance area with him.

She gulped nervously as he turned to face her, lacing his fingers through hers whilst his other hand rested on her side. She placed her hand on his shoulder, looking at him as he smiled, which helped her relax a little.

"You should know I can't dance." He whispered to her as she smiled.

"You and me both." Jude whispered back as he smiled, turning her under his arm and pulling her back into him as she smiled, feeling his body pressed against hers, enjoying the way his hand pulled her into him, and the fact his eyes never left hers. She knew this was different from anything she'd ever experienced. A good different.


	15. Dispute

**Dispute**

* * *

"Can I help you?" Punk groaned, one week later, leaning the side of his head on the front door, looking on at Hamilton standing, having just knocked on the door, "Shouldn't you be dead yet?" Punk shook his head as Hamilton chuckled to himself.

"Probably." Hamilton nodded, "Thought you might like to hear what I have to say, though." He said as Punk looked across at him.

"Well go on, spit it out." Punk shrugged.

"You're not going to let me in?" Hamilton scoffed.

"You spat on my face one time. You were racist to my wife countless times. Made my life pretty difficult for the most part. You can say whatever you have to say from the front step." Punk nodded as Hamilton nodded slowly.

"Well I spoke to your lovely daughters a few days ago. Thea and Jude." Hamilton said, "They're sweet girls. Hard to believe they came from you and April-"

"What the hell do you have to say?" Punk asked, getting frustrated. He didn't want to talk to his man any more than what was necessary.

"Well, they told me all about the cards and what's been going on-"

"Yeah, I know. They told me everything you said." Punk nodded.

"Everything?" Hamilton wondered.

"Yeah. You put a report in and you got the cars watching the houses." Punk said as Hamilton nodded slowly. He didn't think Thea and Jude would have told their father about the extra information he shared with them. For his safety, he was glad.

"Yeah… yeah, well we got surveillance footage from your youngest daughter's school-"

"Wait a second, aren't you retired?" Punk shook his head.

"I help out from time to time." Hamilton shrugged as Punk rolled his eyes, "We got this on camera." He said, taking his phone out and turning it around to show Punk.

"Let me see." Punk said, taking the phone from him and looking closer.

The footage had captured what looked to be a man, with his hood up, heading for Cassie's locker to slip the card in, "We didn't get to see his face but we're working on it." Hamilton nodded as Punk looked at him.

"You're working on it?" Punk asked, "When have you ever done anything to help me?"

"I've helped you before." Hamilton assured him, "Look, we're taking this seriously down at the station. And with Marina's recent murder, given your connection to her-"

"Connection? I have no connection to her." Punk said.

"Well strictly speaking, you do. You worked for her. It's not a crime to say that now. You went and did the time for it No one is gonna re-arrest you for that. You… you paid for it. Well and truly." Hamilton nodded as Punk looked across at him.

"I'd feel a lot better if you weren't involved." Punk shook his head, handing the phone back to him, "All you've ever done my entire life is try to tear me down. This shit isn't just about me. This is my entire family-"

"I can see that." Hamilton said, "And I'm not trying to tear you down, Phil. I… I do want to help." He nodded, "And you don't have to believe that but… I do." He nodded as Punk looked across at him, "It's not… it's not the world against you. I know your past experiences probably make it feel that way but… we will help you. And your family."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Punk nodded. He wouldn't be so gullible.

"Of course." Hamilton said, "I'm sure Jude will be getting a lot closer to information now anyway-"

"What do you mean?" Punk shook his head.

"Well she's dating one of the cops at the station." Hamilton said, "Sean… he's a nice guy, actually." Hamilton nodded to himself as Punk stared through him…

* * *

"Jude!" Punk called, bursting into Jude's apartment, "Jude." Punk said, walking around the apartment, into the kitchen and through the living room, walking over to Jude's bedroom and walking in.

"Dad!" Jude screamed as Punk immediately walked back out with his hand over his eyes, stumbling over some things as he tried to find some safe space to stand and hope for the ground to swallow him up.

Jude immediately got out of her bed, putting on some clothes whilst Sean did the same.

"Is he gonna stab me?" Sean questioned, "Cause you know I'd have to arrest him, right?"

"Oh my God, just go." Jude groaned, pushing him out of the bedroom as Punk looked over, "I'm gonna beat you up." Jude nodded.

"What? You're not gonna introduce me?" Punk threw his hands up eccentrically.

"Sean." Sean nodded to him, buttoning up his shirt, "Nice to meet you." He smirked as Punk glared at him, stepping closer as Jude immediately stood in the middle.

"Maybe you can both get acquainted another time." Jude said.

"No, go on. Tell me a bit about yourself." Punk nodded, folding his arms as Sean looked across at him.

"Something is telling me from the look on your face, you know everything you need to know about me." Sean nodded as Punk turned to Jude.

"A cop?" Punk tilted his head as Jude looked at him, "Really?"

"Just go, Sean." Jude shook her head, pushing him towards the door, walking him over.

"He's insane." Sean whispered to her as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, just… leave me with him." Jude nodded, "I'll call you later." She said.

"You think he'd come break my arm if I kissed you right now?" Sean asked.

"Oh God, please just go." Jude nodded worriedly as Sean chuckled a little, causing her to smile, shoving him out of the apartment and closing the door over, turning around, "How dare you." Jude said angrily.

"You have no idea what you're getting into." Punk shook his head.

"It has absolutely nothing to do with you." Jude spat, walking over to him, "There's nothing wrong with cops. Not all of them are out to get you-"

"Believe me, they are. C'mon, Jude… I know what type of guys these are. They're manipulative and they twist everything." Punk said, "Believe me, this is coming from a place of concern."

"He's really sweet and kind to me, actually." Jude spat.

"You've known him for a week and you're already-"

"None of your business." Jude made clear as Punk put his hands up.

"You're right, it's not. But when we're in the middle of death threats, knee deep in anxiety, with the cops maybe or maybe not helping us… you dating one isn't helping." Punk said.

"I don't remember you being the one to tell me what I can and can't do." Jude said, "You don't treat Thea like this. You never did. Any time I get close to having a boyfriend, you always have an opinion-"

"Well let's be honest, the past few boyfriends you've had have been pretty shitty people. Right?" Punk said as Jude folded her arms and looked down. He wasn't wrong.

"Yeah and so what? I can learn from that." Jude said, "Sean is really sweet. He's just himself. He's not got a cop mentality." She said, "And I shouldn't have to explain myself to you over this. It's ridiculous." She said.

"You've known him for a week." Punk said.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna keep getting to know him. And you're gonna stay out of it." She nodded.

"Trust me, they're all the same. They're obnoxious and they're rude-"

"No, dad. They're not all like that." Jude said, "Ok, I know you've had some horrible experiences with cops but let's face it, you did bad things, you and mom. You can't get mad at them for treating you the way they did when you were committing crimes. What did you expect was going to happen?" Jude spat.

"It was more than that, trust me." Punk said, "They can be cruel. So cruel."

"You can sweep generalisation." Jude shook her head, "You're one bad experience doesn't speak for the entire police station." She said.

"One bad experience? One?" Punk chuckled a little.

"Sean is a good person. He's kind to me. Respectful. He's not judgemental, even when he knows how fucked up this family is-"

"What the hell does that mean?" Punk questioned.

"My last name is Brooks." Jude said, "And he knows about what's going on right now, with the cards, and Marina's death, and how you used to work for her… they're actually trying to help us, dad. It's not us against them. It's not us against everyone. You have to understand that." Jude nodded as Punk shook his head.

"I don't trust them." Punk said, "And I'm sure as hell not gonna sit back and let you get hurt by one of them."

"Well tough shit because you have no say in what I do or who I see." Jude said, "Doesn't it even matter to you that I actually like him, and he actually likes me-"

"You said that about all the other boyfriends and sure enough, you always end up on our couch with a pint of ice-cream and tears running down your face." Punk said, "I mean… didn't the last one cheat on you?"

"Yeah, something you'd know about, wouldn't you?" Jude bit back as Punk stared across at her.

"Just keep your claws in. I'm not trying to hurt you, Jude. I'm trying to help you." Punk said.

"By telling me what to do?" Jude asked, "That's not you. You were the guy who would always tell me to go be and do what I want. To follow my rules and no one elses-"

"Yeah I was like… talking about careers and stuff." Punk scoffed, "Not guys." He said as Jude rolled her eyes.

"You don't treat Thea like this-"

"Thea is married and has a kid. It's a little different." Punk shook his head.

"No, you still treat me like a kid." Jude shook her head, "You can't force all your bad experiences onto me. I make my own decisions based on what I think, not what you think." Jude made clear, "You really don't trust anyone but mom, do you?"

"No, and I have pretty good reasons why." Punk nodded, "I just want you to be safe and happy-"

"Then let me be." Jude said, "I'm not a little girl. Let me make my mistakes, let me learn from them… I mean you don't even seem to care that I actually like this guy-"

"Who you've known a total of seven days?" Punk asked.

"You're being a dick." Jude nodded, getting angrier.

"Jude." Punk said.

"You are." Jude nodded, "It's not the cops fault that you were abused so bad as a kid that you find it physically impossible to trust anyone in your life." She said angrily in the heat as Punk looked across at her.

"What?" Punk looked at her with frowning brows.

"What?" Jude shook her head nervously.

"W-Why… What are you talking about?" Punk shook his head.

"I just mean… when you were a teenager. When you were homeless." Jude tried to cover up as Punk looked at her.

"Who have you been talking to?" Punk narrowed his eyebrows at her, "Is it that guy?"

"That guy has a name, and it's Sean." Jude said, "I've not been talking to anyone." Jude said as Punk stared at her.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Jude." Punk nodded, hesitant to say much more after hearing what she said, hearing the truth to it.

"I can look out for myself." Jude said, "Why don't we just focus on finding out who wants to kill us. As… ridiculous as that sounds." She shook her head, "My love life has nothing to do with anything."

"I'll put a tub of ice-cream in the freezer for you." Punk nodded as she shook her head coldly.

"Get out of my apartment." Jude nodded as Punk walked past her and left the apartment.

* * *

Punk got home later on, feeling confused, feeling a range of emotions. Mostly questioning why Jude had said what she said about him being abused. Hearing that out loud was more scarring than he thought.

His worry and concern came from the heart. He wasn't trying to dictate her life, but given her past relationships and the fact this boy was a cop, he was only concerned. He knew he had different ways of showing it sometimes, but it wasn't like she didn't put him in his place.

He got out of the car and headed into the house, closing the door behind him and sighing. It did very much feel like a dark cloud was looming over all of them. It was exhausting feeling like they had to constantly look over their shoulders. And all he wanted was to get rid of that feeling for his family. It was mentally challenging being in this position of unknown.

"Ape." Punk sighed, in need of his wife for a conversation, "April." Punk called through the house, wondering why it was eerily quiet.

He headed upstairs, checking the rooms and noticing Cassie wasn't home either. He assumed they'd maybe gone out to the store, but of course there was that underlayer of what if hovering around.

He walked back down the stairs, walking through the living room, pausing when he saw a coffee mug knocked over, as well as the side table and lamp tipped over.

"April!" Punk called again, walking quickly out of the living room and into the kitchen, the silence becoming more concerning and telling as time went by.

He looked around the kitchen, pausing when he saw two small cards on the kitchen table.

The same crematorium cards as before, a new one with 'RIP April Mendez' and another one with 'RIP Cassie Brooks' on it.


	16. Hostage

**Hostage**

* * *

"C'mon, April. Pick up." Punk shook his head, holding his phone to his ear, ringing his wife for the possible one hundredth time, his heart never steadying whilst he walked down the street, walking into the police station and pulling up at the front desk.

"Phil." Hamilton spotted from across the station.

"You say you wanna help me?" Punk questioned, "April and Cassie are gone."

"What… what do you mean they're gone?" Hamilton questioned.

"I mean… I went home, and they're not there." Punk said, "The table in the living room has been kicked up, April won't answer her phone, her car is still there so… she's not gone out willingly. And these were left on the kitchen table." He sat the two cards down as Hamilton took a look, "Someone took them." He said as Hamilton looked at him.

"Right." Hamilton nodded slowly, "I'll get a search party out for them right now." He nodded, walking away for a moment into the back as Punk placed his hands over his face, groaning loudly, feeling his heart pounding. He'd come up against some pretty high pressured situations in his life, some pretty scary situations, but nothing scared him more than this did.

"We can't wait around." Punk said as Hamilton reappeared, "I gotta go look for them. Ask around… do anything." Punk nodded frantically, suddenly watching as some cops began to spill out of the station, "W-What… what are they doing?"

"I gave them pictures of April and Cassie. They're going out to look for them. I'm also gonna have CCTV footage checked from previous nights in Marina's club, to see if she encountered anyone before her death." Hamilton nodded, writing some things down, "I'm also sending two cops over to your house right now to look at the scene, see if they can find anything useful… any other signs of a struggle." Hamilton said as Punk gulped.

"You're… you're actually helping me?" Punk asked.

"I don't wish these bad things on your family, Phil. I never did." Hamilton made clear as Punk looked at him, "We'll do everything we can to find them. In the meantime, is there anything that you can tell me that will help us try and at least… imagine who this could be?" Hamilton asked.

"I thought it was Marina, but then she got killed." Punk threw his hands up, "And I can't think for the life of me, why me and her would have the same common enemy. I mean I was in prison for eight years and… these past few years I've been out, it's been a quiet life for the first time in my life." He said, "I haven't ran into anyone, I haven't pissed off anyone." Punk said, "Believe me, my wife and my daughter's life is at stake here. If I knew anything, I'd tell you." Punk nodded.

"I know." Hamilton nodded, "Look, I've got cops covering all the bases we can right now. You should go talk to the rest of your family, let them know what's going on." He said as Punk nodded, feeling light headed.

"I gotta… I gotta do something, though. I gotta go look for them." Punk nodded, almost robotically. Truth was, he was in shock, he couldn't let his mind go there, he couldn't imagine anything happening to AJ or Cassie. He couldn't let himself go there.

"I know you feel like that but right now, there isn't much you can do. Not until we figure out who this. I know how you feel about cops." Hamilton said, "But we got more useful recourses to help than you do right now, so let us." He nodded as Punk looked across at him, nodding.

"Yeah… yeah, of course." Punk nodded.

"Stay by your phone." Hamilton advised as Punk nodded.

* * *

Punk left the police station and called his family to meet at Thea's house. Jude, Dean, Renee and their kids. Sam. All of them.

He arrived at the house not long after, still feeling sick to his stomach, light-headed and restless. He walked into the living room where they were all waiting.

"What's this about?" Thea asked, already having a bad feeling in her stomach.

"Where is mom?" Jude questioned, looking at the doorway, "And Cass?" She asked, waiting for them to appear as Punk stood in front of them all.

"Dad." Thea sat up on the couch, even more worried than what she already was, "W-Where is mom and Cassie?" She asked.

"Someone… someone came into the house and took them." Punk said.

"What?" Dean stood up.

"I… I got back and the living room was all messed up, and those fucking cards were sitting on the kitchen table with their names on it. April won't pick up her phone. Her car is still at the house. I called Cassie's friends and… she's not with them." Punk nodded, running his hand over his hair, "So I went to the cops-"

"W-What… what are you talking about?" Thea stood up from the couch, "What do you mean someone has took them?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"Thea." Punk sighed.

"No." Thea shook her head, "No, what are you talking about?" She shook her head. She couldn't think about the possibility of her mother and little sister being in any sort of danger. It was the worst feeling in the world. Crippling. And they were all feeling it.

"Where were you?!" Thea yelled.

"Yelling at me." Jude looked across at her father.

"The cops are out looking for them right now. They're at the house looking at the scene. They're looking into CCTV footage." Punk nodded, "Dean I said that we'd go out and look too. Just… anywhere." Punk said hopelessly as Dean nodded.

"Oh my God." Thea cried, sitting back down on the couch, placing her hands over her mouth as Dominic wrapped an arm around her, whilst Jude stood in shock.

"We'll find them." Punk nodded. If he didn't say it, he wouldn't believe it. And he couldn't imagine the worst right now, nor could he let the rest of his family imagine the worst.

"Let's get out there and look for her." Dean nodded.

"I'll come." Sam nodded, "The rest of you stay put." She said.

"We should all be out looking." Thea said.

"No, the rest of you just stay put. Stay by your phones." Punk nodded, looking over at Jude who looked like she wasn't even registering what was going on.

"I wanna come. I wanna help look. Just do something." Thea stood back up, "I'll go get my jacket."

"No, I'd rather you stayed here." Punk nodded to her, "The cops are looking, they're… actually helping." He said as Jude looked over at him, "You stay here with your sister and Dominic."

"What? Stay here and just wait?" Thea shook her head, "No, I wanna help. I need to do something." She said as Punk shook his head, looking over to Dominic who nodded to him.

"T, someone's gotta stay here in case your mom or Cass shows up, right?" Dominic nodded, "There's not anything else we can do right now." He said as Thea sat back down in shock, "Just go." Dominic nodded to Punk.

"Ok." Punk nodded, "I'll call if we hear anything from the cops." He said, leaving the house with Dean and his mother.

"Ok, where do we start?" Dean asked with a deep breath, walking out into the dark street.

"I have no clue. I don't… I don't know what to do." Punk admitted. Now that he was out of his daughter's sights, he felt himself letting go of more hopelessness and worry.

"Go to the club. If the cops aren't there, start looking through Marina's things. I will ask around here to see if anyone has saw anything. I'll go down to the travellers and ask for their help too. Weirdly enough, they like you, Phil."

"Right now isn't the time for fortunes." Dean looked at Sam.

"They know things, believe me." Sam shook her head, "You two just go to the club and search the place top to bottom for anything."

* * *

"Take your hands off of me!" AJ yelled, being pulled down a hallways by a man, watching as he opened up the door, throwing her down onto the ground. Her hands were tied behind her back which gave her no chance of clawing her way out of it.

She watched as the man, who she didn't know or recognise, closed the door behind her, listening as it locked.

"Mom." Cassie sat in the corner of the room as AJ turned around, gasping of relief.

"Oh my God." AJ cried, so thankful to see her daughter after being separated from her. They appeared to be in a completely empty bedroom, nothing but carpet and some curtains by the window.

"Mom, what's going on?" Cassie shook her head as AJ crawled over to Cassie.

"It's ok." AJ nodded, "It's ok, we'll… we'll get out of here." AJ said, looking around the room.

"Who are these people?" Cassie asked her.

"I-I don't know." AJ shook her head, which was the terrifying part. The men who had come into their house and practically kidnapped them, she didn't recognise a single one of them, which terrified her. She didn't know what they wanted or what they were planning to do, she just knew she had to protect her daughter. That was all she cared about right now.

"How do we get out of here?" Cassie sat up as AJ stood up, walking over to the window.

"It's got a lock on it." AJ shook her head, walking back over to the door of the room, pressing her ear against it, trying to listen to anything, but it was deadly silent, as if no one else was in the apartment.

"Where even are we?" Cassie asked as AJ walked back over to the window, looking out, but all she could see was the building next to them, which meant they could have been anywhere.

"I don't know." AJ shook her head, "I was… I was in the car for ten minutes so… we can't be far." She nodded, trying to be positive for the sake of Cassie, who she knew was just absolutely terrified.

"I'm scared." Cassie shook her head as AJ nodded, walking over to her.

"I know. I know." AJ took a deep breath, "Look at me." She said as Cassie looked at her, "We'll get out of here, ok?" AJ nodded, "We're gonna be fine." She nodded. She would do anything before she let anything happen to her daughter. Right now, that was all she cared about, protecting her, no matter what her own consequences were.


	17. Ghost

**Ghost**

* * *

"This is all fucking useless!" Punk yelled, throwing pieces of paper down as they flew everywhere in Marina's office at the club.

The entire club had officially been cordoned off by the police, but Dean and Punk had made their way in the back entrance.

"Keep a cool head." Dean advised, kneeling down on the floor as he went through some paper work.

"Dean, April and Cassie are out there." Punk said as Dean stood up.

"I know." Dean nodded, "And we're doing everything we can. The cops are doing their job. Mom is covering her ground. We could find something in here." Dean said, trying to keep his brother calm.

"If anything happens to them-"

"Don't go there. Don't let your brain go there." Dean nodded as Punk placed his hands at the back of his head.

Each minute that went by, he felt like he was losing his mind. It was the worst feeling he'd ever felt. Not being able to physically do anything to help his wife and daughter was his own version of torture. Hell. And he was struggling to keep his nerve.

"What the hell could possibly be in here that is gonna help us?" Punk shook his head, walking back behind the desk.

"Well realistically, the person who came here and killed Marina, might be the very person who… have April and Cassie." Dean said, "So maybe I don't know, Marina was in contact with her killer before he came and… killed her." Dean shrugged.

"Or she had no idea." Punk said, "Wait… what the hell is all of this?" He screwed his face up, digging into a drawer, pulling out some letters as Dean walked over to him.

"What's that?" Dean looked on as Punk opened them up.

"There's no way." Punk shook his head, turning to Dean who gulped, turning to Punk, "No…" Punk shook his head, "That's impossible."

* * *

"Here." Dominic walked into the living room, handing Jude a cup of coffee as well as Renee.

"This is torture." Jude shook her head, running her hands through her face, sitting the coffee down, "We should be doing something."

"No, your dad is right, you guys need to just stay put. They're doing everything they can." Dominic nodded.

"That's my mom and sister." Jude turned to him, "I can't just sit and wait."

"They got cops out there, your dad and uncle are out, Sam is out." Dominic said.

"The more time goes by the more chance that-"

"You can't think like that right now." Dominic shook his head, "They'll find them." He nodded as Jude sighed, feeling sick to her stomach with worry.

"What if they're not even together?" Jude shook her head, "Cassie will be so scared." She cried thinking about it as Dominic sighed.

"Just try think positive." Dominic sighed, hugging her sweetly, not knowing what else he could really say to make it better, "W-Where is Thea?" He wondered, noticing she wasn't in the living room and she hadn't been in the kitchen.

"Uh… I… I don't know, I think she went upstairs." Jude nodded.

"I'm gonna go check on her." Dominic nodded, standing up and heading upstairs, walking into their bedroom where Thea was nowhere to be seen. So he then checked James' nursery, assuming she'd obviously be there, but was surprised to not find her.

"Thea?" Dominic called upstairs, starting to get even more feelings of dread, "T?" He checked the bathroom which was very much empty.

He ran back downstairs and into the kitchen, looking out in the back garden, running his hands through his hair.

He rushed back into the living room, "Where did Thea go?" He asked them all as Jude looked up.

"What?" Jude shook her head.

"Thea isn't in the house." Dominic told them, "Where the hell did she go?"

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Jackson smiled, sitting at the table in the prison visitation room as Thea stared across at him.

"Where are my mom and sister?" Thea spat as Jackson shook his head.

"Huh?" Jackson looked at her.

"Don't play dumb with me." Thea spat, "Where the hell are they? This has your involvement written all over it."

"Which sister?" Jackson asked with torment.

"Cassie." Thea gritted her teeth, "Where are they? Who took them?"

"I got no clue what you're talking about, babe." Jackson shook his head, "But.. it is so good to see you." He smiled, tapping her foot under the table as Thea kicked his shin as hard as she could, watching him wince.

She then stood up and grabbed him by the throat, watching the officer in the room coming towards her.

"Don't think about touching me." Thea warned the officer as Jackson chuckled a little.

"Nice to know you haven't changed." Jackson nodded as Thea turned back to him.

"Where are they?" Thea spat.

"Why do you think I would know? I'm locked up." Jackson said as Thea let him go, sitting back down as Jackson looked across at her.

"You would know something like this was going to happen. I know you. All the letters that you still send me. All the lies, all the poison that you still spew to me-"

"Which you clearly still read like a lost little girl." Jackson smiled, "I assumed you were ripping them up."

"Me and my husband read them, and we laugh at them." Thea glared at him as Jackson smiled to himself and nodded.

"Glad I could be a source of entertainment." Jackson nodded, "You got married?"

"Yes." Thea said, "I have a baby too. I'm happy."

"The cocaine must not be far in reach then." Jackson nodded as Thea shook her head.

"I haven't touched that since I was nineteen." Thea made clear, "I don't need it."

"No, but you want it." Jackson smiled.

"Please just tell me where my mom and Cassie are." Thea shook her head, "Please."

"Thea, I really don't know where they are. I'm not lying." Jackson said, "But I… I do take comfort in you coming to me when you're most worried." He smiled as Thea shook her head, "I know you still think about me."

"I really don't." Thea promised him, "But my mom and my little sister are in danger right now and if there was anyone who was involved with wanting to hurt me or my family, you were… you were the first person I thought of." She said, "That's how low I think of you."

"Well, honey, I don't know where they are or what's happened to them." Jackson leaned back on his chair.

"If you know something, please… please just tell me." Thea begged as Jackson looked at her.

"Ok." Jackson put his hands up, leaning forward towards Thea as she stared him cautiously, "They're probably already dead." Jackson whispered as Thea looked at him, watching as he stood up, walking back to the door to let him back down to the cells.

Thea sat at the empty table, placing her hand over her mouth, feeling numb all over as she tried to stand up.

She left the visitation room, walking out, her hands shaking as she thought about her mother and little sister, feeling so much hopelessness and dread upon their disappearance. She couldn't trust Jackson, she knew that. For all she knew, he was lying, but she also knew he would love to see her in this state.

"You ok, honey?" The woman at the front desk asked as Thea turned around, pausing for a second.

"Uh… could you show me the visitation book, please?" Thea walked over to the desk.

"I… I can't do that, I'm afraid." The woman shook her head, "Who were you visiting?"

"Jackson." Thea said, "Has he had any other visitors?"

"Um let me think." She thought to herself, "Just his father." She shrugged as Thea looked across at her.

"His father?" Thea questioned as the woman nodded.

"Yeah." The woman said, "Once or twice a week."

"His dad?" Thea questioned again with confusion.

* * *

"Why are we being kept in here?" Cassie questioned, sitting on the floor beside her mother, their hands still tied behind their back, more time passing by where they appeared to be alone in the apartment they were in.

"I don't know." AJ sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. The most frustrating part was the unknown, and the fact she knew her husband would be losing his mind right now. But there was nothing they could have done to prevent this. It was an ambush. Vicious and deliberate. Well planned out. Which also worried her.

"Maybe someone will find us." Cassie said as AJ nodded.

"Someone will." AJ nodded to her positively, "Police or… or your father." AJ nodded with hope, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, ok?" She nodded to Cassie who nodded.

"You really have no clue where we are?" Cassie asked her.

"No, I… I had a bag over my head the entire time." AJ said, "Only took it off when I got put in here." She said, "And I don't really recognise outside." She said, standing up and walking over to the window again.

She looked out the window again, looking around the area. All she could see was that the next apartment building close to them had been knocked down. She had no more access to see what was around the corner.

"Uh… mom." Cassie said with confusion, looking on at the wall beside her.

"What?" AJ turned around.

"Why is Thea's name on this wall?" Cassie noticed the carving of Thea's name on the wall.

"What?" AJ shook her head, walking over to the wall, crouching down and looking at it, "Oh my God." AJ stood back up, looking around the empty room, realising where they were.

"What?" Cassie shook her head.

"This is our old apartment." AJ realised, starting to picture the bedroom the way it used to be, "Your dad carved Thea's name on the wall. Her… her bed used to be here." She looked, "And ours was over there." She turned around.

Without all the possessions they used to have, it just appeared to be a plain empty room, but now she felt the presence of their old apartment, their first apartment.

"You shared the same bedroom?" Cassie shook her head.

"Yeah well we… we couldn't afford anything bigger until another couple years." AJ said, walking back over to the window, "There used to be another building next to us here but it's… it's all been knocked down." She noticed.

"So how far are we from home?" Cassie wondered.

"Not far." AJ said with hope, suddenly listening as she heard the front door open and close.

"What's that?" Cassie panicked as AJ walked over to the door.

Now that she had her bearings about her, she felt a little more confident. Nothing felt so unknown anymore, nothing but the person behind all of this of course

"Someone's here." AJ whispered, pressing her ear against the door, hearing footsteps.

She heard them getting closer to the door and listened as the lock began to turn.

AJ immediately walked over to Cassie, standing in front of her as she listened to the handle turning.

"It's gonna be ok." AJ nodded, watching the door open up, stepping back unbalanced a little as she saw who walked in the door, gulping and shaking her head in disbelief.

"April… you look like you've seen a ghost." Rio smiled.


	18. The Escape

**The Escape**

* * *

"W-What…" AJ shook her head, backing up against Cassie who stood behind her, "How are you…" She gulped, not understanding what she was looking at. Who she was looking at. It truly felt like she was losing her mind, like she really was hallucinating or seeing a ghost.

"Nope. Not a ghost." Rio smiled, "Alive and… in living colour." He pointed to himself, "It's been a while, hasn't it?" He nodded, leaning against the side of the door, so calm, so still, as if feeding off the disbelief that AJ was showing him.

"You were shot." AJ shook her head.

"I was." Rio nodded, "I was shot. On my wedding day." He corrected, "Bummer."

"You… you died." AJ shook her head. It all sounded rather silly out loud, when he was right there in front of her, but there was so much to consider right now that she had no clue how this was even possible.

"Well… clearly I didn't." Rio chuckled, looking on at Cassie, "You must be Cassie." He smiled as AJ stepped fully in front of Cassie, "I do apologise if you were man handled in any way. I had to get you both here and it was the easiest way-"

"What do you want with us?" AJ shook her head as Rio smiled a little.

"That's a question with many, many answers." Rio nodded, "Why don't we go into the kitchen and talk." He smiled to AJ, "Cassie will be fine here. There's no one else in the apartment."

"And I'm supposed to trust you?" AJ spat.

"If you want your answers, come with me. If you don't, fine… sit here and wait." Rio shrugged.

"Wait on what?" AJ shook her head.

"Ahh, see… answers." He pointed as AJ looked across at him.

"How did you even get away with this?" AJ whispered to herself, shaking her head in such disbelief.

"Come into the kitchen and I'll tell you." Rio shrugged as AJ shook her head.

"I'm not leaving my daughter." AJ made clear as Rio smiled to himself and nodded.

"Of course you're not." Rio said.

"You were the one who left those cards at my daughter's houses? And school?" AJ questioned as Rio nodded.

"Yeah, it's how the New York Mafia used to do it. If you ever got served a black hand in the post, you knew you were next. I thought it'd prepare you." Rio shrugged.

"This isn't the mafia you stupid fuck, this is my family." AJ spat, "Why the hell are you coming for us? What have we done to you?"

"You ask so many questions that have so many answers." Rio groaned, rubbing his hands over his face, "Let's start off with my son, shall we?" He smiled as AJ looked across at him.

"Jackson." AJ whispered to herself, it not even crossing her mind.

"Yeah. Jackson." Rio nodded, "He's in prison. Suffering-"

"Don't act like you gave a damn about him. You abandoned him. You neglected him when he was just a little boy." AJ said.

"I had to fake my death." Rio shrugged, "Cops were getting onto me for certain things and I… I knew Marina was up to something. I anticipated an attack, and I anticipated it being very public and out in the open. So… I got word that on my wedding day, I was gonna be attacked. I used it to my advantage. I knew the right people that helped me get away with it." He said as AJ shook her head.

"You're insane." AJ shook her head.

"You can imagine the kick I got out of finding out Phil wound up back in prison, for another eight years." Rio smiled, "All down to your dear parents." He said.

"Why are you back?" AJ spat, "And why are you coming after us? We have done nothing to you."

"April." Rio smiled, "April, April April." He chuckled to himself, "Did you really think that when you stabbed me in the back, when you were nineteen, that I was going to let you just… walk away?" He questioned, "Or when your entire family got my son imprisoned-"

"Your son is a monster, just like you." AJ made clear, "And he is exactly where he is supposed to be."

"Why? Because he fell in love?" Rio pouted, "I mean… all the girls in the world and he as to fraternize with your daughter. I find it remarkable." He said, "Nevertheless, he never meant any harm-"

"He did, actually. On multiple occasions he hurt my daughter, mentally and physically." AJ said, "And he was the one who got Phil put in prison."

"You wanna know something about that?" Rio whispered as AJ looked at him, "I told him to." He smirked as AJ looked across at him.

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"Well I mean… I was faking my death, but I was still watching from afar." Rio nodded, "I heard you and Phil were working for Marina to off your parents debt, and I knew my son was friends with your daughter. I found my way in." Rio shrugged, "I told my son to go to the cops, bust Phil for the drugs he had kept in this very apartment." He nodded.

"You." AJ shook her head, "It's always you." She shook her head.

"I gave you so much when you were young. All three of you. Dean, you, Phil. I was like a big brother. I gave and I gave." Rio said, "And then you turned your back on me, you stabbed me in the back when you tried to snitch on me." Rio said, "And I've never forgotten that, April."

"Then deal with me." AJ spat, "Leave my kids and leave Phil alone."

"Well… no, because there's no fun in that." Rio said, "Plus, I'm doing it for my son too-"

"I let your son into my house. I treated him with respect and I treated him well, even after he went to the cops about Phil." AJ spat, "It wasn't until he snapped and he hurt my daughter that we took action. So don't you dare play that card." AJ shook her head.

"I'll play whatever card I want." Rio nodded.

"Why us?" AJ spat, " What did you do? Rock paper scissors?" AJ hissed as Rio smiled.

"No, but that's a good idea for who comes next." Rio nodded to her, "You were the easiest targets. Nothing more to that." He shrugged.

"Let Cassie go. Let her go home." AJ nodded, "I'll stay. I'll do… whatever…" She shook her head, "Just let her go."

"No, because I enjoy how much stress you're under right now. Not knowing what I'm gonna do to her." Rio nodded.

"We have done nothing to you. I was nineteen and I was on my own, and you were taking over Phil's life. I had to do something to help him." AJ said, "That was… it was so long ago-"

"I don't forget those who betray me, April." Rio shrugged, "I don't care what age you were. You knew what you were doing. You're a smart girl."

"Why go to the trouble of all of this? Why can't we all just move on? We've done our fair share of suffering, believe me."

"I know that." Rio nodded, "I know everything." He shrugged, "I know your eldest daughter is an addict. Cocaine preferably, right?" He nodded smugly

"Shut up." Cassie piped up angrily as AJ pushed her back.

"Settle down." Rio smiled, amused.

"None of my children have done anything to you, so why are you involving them?" AJ shook her head.

"Because it hurts you." Rio shrugged, "It's not that hard to figure that out." He said, "Jude is the middle one, isn't she?" He nodded, "She's beautiful. And she lives the student life. Living on her own, with a friend, out in the big bad world all by herself." Rio smiled, "And then there's sweet Cassie." He said, looking over at Cassie, "Still at school. Gets good grades. Athletic. Probably the most responsible one out of the three of them… right, mom?" He turned to AJ with a smile.

"You don't have to do this." AJ shook her head, "Please."

"Oh, but I do. It'll help me sleep at night." Rio nodded, "I don't know who should go first." He thought to himself, "By the time Phil gets here, one of you will be dead." He nodded as AJ shook her head.

"No." AJ shook her head.

"Yes." Rio smiled.

"You're anticipating Phil coming here?" AJ asked.

"Of course. If there is one thing I know, it's that he loves you and he'll find out where you are. But… he is only going to find one of you." Rio promised, "And when he does find whoever, I'll make him watch part two." He nodded, walking closer to AJ, "Then I'll kill him and head straight for the other two. Because I think I wanna have a little more fun with them, if you know what I mean-"

AJ immediately kicked him in the crotch, watching him go down.

"Run." AJ turned around to Cassie, "Run out of the apartment and keep running!" AJ exclaimed as Cassie hesitantly looked at her, "Do it!" AJ yelled, not messing around as Cassie ran away out of the room.

She turned her back to the door, using her tied up hands to open up the front door, running out and down the apartment stairs, rushing out onto the streets and continuing to run.

"I guess I have to go first then." AJ looked at Rio who had gotten ferociously angrier, looking on at AJ as he continued to wince a little.

"How heroic." Rio groaned, straightening up as AJ looked across at him fearlessly, "Just gives me more time to play with you." He nodded as AJ looked across at him.

* * *

"Dad." Thea ran into the club, ducking under the police tape as she ran down the corridor to the office, "Dad!" She called, running into the office where her father and Dean were standing.

"What are you doing here?" Punk shook his head, still in disbelief at what they had found in Marina's drawer.

"I think I know who has mom and Cassie." Thea said, a little out of breath.

"Who?" Dean questioned.

"Rio." Thea nodded as Punk looked across at her, "I went to visit Jackson in prison. I don't know, I just… I had a hunch that he would know or he had something to do with it. He didn't tell me anything but when I asked one of the assistants or whatever at the front desk… I asked her if Jackson got any other visitors and she said only his dad came to visit him." Thea said, a little out of breath from running into the club so quickly, "I could be wrong but… isn't Rio supposed to be dead?"

"Yeah, supposed to be." Punk nodded, "We just found all these letters from him to Marina. Some dated back to just earlier in the month." He shook his head.

"We saw him dead on the ground." Dean shook his head, "This doesn't make sense."

"Well let's just think about the what if for a second." Thea said, "What if it was him? Where would he take them?" She asked, "Where would he go?"

"Englewood." Punk nodded.

"Then let's go." Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I agree." Dean nodded just as Punk's phone began to buzz.

"Who is it?" Thea asked.

"It's Hamilton." Punk gulped, so much dread upon seeing the caller ID, nevertheless, he had to pick it up, "Yeah?" Punk answered, sitting down some of the letters, "Oh my God." Punk closed his eyes, crouching down and placing his hand over his mouth, "Ok… ok." He gulped as Thea looked on nervously, "My old apartment?" He questioned as Dean folded his arms, "I'm going just now." Punk said, hanging up on the call before Hamilton could object.

"They found Cassie." Punk nodded, his voice breaking.

"Oh my God." Thea placed her hand on her chest, walking over and hugging her father tightly as he nodded.

"They found her in the street, she was running… said she came from our old apartment and April is still there." Punk said, turning to Dean, "We gotta go. Now." He said. Now wasn't the time for questioning why or how. It was go time.

"Yeah." Dean agreed, rushing out of the office with Punk as Thea followed.

"You should go back home." Punk told Thea, on the way out of the club as they headed back into the streets quickly.

"No way." Thea shook her head, "I'm coming."


	19. Being There

**Being There**

* * *

"What's going on? What are you doing waiting out here?" Punk got to the apartment building with Dean and Thea, noticing Hamilton standing with some other cops, oddly coming out of the apartment block.

"It's empty." Hamilton nodded, "No one is there."

"Dad!" Cassie exclaimed, coming out of one of the cop cars once she saw her father.

Punk turned around, immediately feeling weak at the sight of his daughter, the relief being so strong it almost made him feel dizzy. She came running at him quickly as he caught her in a hug. He'd never squeezed another human being so tightly before.

"You're ok." Punk nodded, cupping the back of her head as he hugged her tightly, "You're ok?" He questioned as Cassie looked up and nodded, "You're safe now." He promised, kissing her head and hugging her tightly.

"He still has mom." Cassie said, stepping back a little, "I didn't want to leave her." She said, tears coming, "I didn't want to leave her there but she told me to go and… and I thought if… if I got to someone quickly they could help." Cassie said hysterically.

"Shh… ok." Punk nodded, pulling her back into a hug, "It's ok." He said, looking over at Thea who watched tearfully and worriedly, "We'll get mom. It's gonna be fine." Punk nodded, kissing her head, "You're gonna go with one of the police officers, and they're gonna take you to Thea's house. Jude, Renee, Dominic… they're all there." He nodded to her as Cassie nodded.

"Will you find her?" Cassie asked as Punk nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll find her." Punk promised. He wasn't surprised that AJ had found a way to free Cassie before her own self. It was a natural thing to do, and he would have done the same. But now more concern was on her safety and well-being, now even more so than before.

Cassie went off to hug Thea and talk to her whilst Punk walked over to Hamilton who was standing with Dean.

"Do you know what we know?" Punk asked Hamilton.

"Well going by what Cassie just told us. Guy called Rio. His son is in prison. He's came back to set the story straight between him and April after she stabbed him in the back… yeah, I say we're on the same page." Hamilton shook his head, "The guy is supposed to be dead."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Punk spat, "And now he has my wife." He said, "We gotta find them. Like… right now." Punk said, his veins beginning to burn brightly into his skin.

"It's getting dark." Hamilton noticed, "It's gonna get harder."

"I don't give a damn. We keep looking." Punk said.

"Ok, you're the one who knew this guy. Where would he go? Where did he used to live? Why did he choose your old apartment?" Hamilton asked.

"I have no fucking clue." Punk threw his hands up, "He's a psychopath. He wants to murder my whole family. I don't know how he's thinking or where he's going."

"Did he leave anything in the apartment?" Dean asked.

"No, the place is empty." Hamilton shook his head, "Cassie told us that… he did plan on killing them, and that Thea and Jude were gonna be next. She also said something about him being the one to make Jackson snitch on you back when you got sentenced."

"Of course it was him." Punk whispered to himself, "Of course it was. He… He was never gonna let it go." He shook his head as Dean sighed to himself, "We have to find her. Now." Punk nodded, "Ok I… she's the one that holds this family together. Believe me." He shook his head, placing his hands on Hamilton's shoulders, "I can't lose her. Look at me in the eyes." Punk ordered as Hamilton sighed, "I can't lose my wife. Do you understand that?" Punk said as Dean ran his hands through his hair.

"Phil, I've known you since you were a little boy. I know what April means to you." Hamilton nodded, "Maybe I didn't understand a lot about you, but that's one thing I do." He promised.

"I can't lose her." Punk shook his head.

* * *

"_Phil?" AJ got home from work, tiredly taking her jacket off as she dumped her car keys down, "Babe?" AJ called, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen._

"_Dad's upstairs I think." Fourteen year old Cassie said, sitting at the kitchen table on her new phone, "He just disappeared." She shrugged._

"_What are you doing on that phone?" AJ asked curiously, "I thought we agreed it was for texting and calling only."_

"_I'm watching funny videos on Youtube, not cyberbullying anyone." Cassie scoffed as AJ smiled a little. _

"_Well that's always good to know." AJ hummed, "I'm gonna go get changed and then I'll come start dinner." AJ said, kissing Cassie's head as she walked on out of the kitchen._

_She headed upstairs tiredly, but completely content. Life had treated them kindly over the past few years. Getting to reconnect with her husband after him being gone for so long was wonderful, and to see their children growing together was important. They'd not long found out they were going to be grandparents, which was insane, but well needed good news. Something to celebrate and look forward to._

_All they really wanted was their daughters to be happy, and she was so glad to say that they were, finally, after a lot of struggling. _

"_Phil?" AJ said, walking into their bedroom, not seeing him anywhere but noticing the bathroom door was closed._

"_Babe, are you just ignoring me?" AJ chuckled a little, opening up the bathroom door where she saw Punk sitting on the floor, breathing heavily, almost as if he was having some sort of asthma attack, "Phil, oh my God." AJ shook her head, walking fully into the bathroom and crouching down._

_Punk just shook his head, waving his hand to assure her he was fine, but he couldn't even get a word out to tell her._

"_Phil, what happened?" AJ asked, worriedly. She didn't even know what was going on, he looked like he couldn't breathe, his chest was heaving rapidly and he kept holding his chest, "Baby, look at me." AJ shook her head, "Look at me." She nodded as he looked across at her._

"_I'm… it's… panic attack." Punk told her as AJ shook her head with confusion. She didn't know him to have panic attacks, ever. _

"_Ok… ok." AJ tried to calm down, taking his hands in hers, "You're ok." She nodded. She'd never really helped anyone through a panic attack before, but seeing him in this distress just made her act out of helpful instinct, "Look at me. It's ok. It's gonna be fine." AJ promised, listening to his heavy breathing._

"_I'm… I'm fine." Punk wheezed in denial._

"_Hey, baby. Ok, focus on me." She cupped his cheeks, kneeling down in front of him, "Focus on me." She nodded as he looked across at her, "Thea called me at work today." AJ nodded, "She had her first appointment. Got to see the baby." AJ smiled as Punk was still breathing heavily, "Do you remember when we first saw Jude? And I couldn't… I couldn't find her on the screen." She smiled as Punk nodded, still breathing heavily._

_His days of panicking, suffering anxiously in silence were clearly over. He'd tried his best to hide these attacks from his family, to prevent them from worrying, but he was no longer in control of them. And in a way, it was a massive relief to actually have someone with him right now._

"_I couldn't find her on the screen and I… I remember being so upset." AJ laughed, looking across at him as he nodded, "The nurse told me it happened all the time but I was… I was so mad at myself." She shook her head as he nodded._

"_Had to buy you… ice-cream." Punk got out through his heavy breathing as AJ nodded._

"_Yeah." AJ smiled, "Yeah, you just needed to cheer me up somehow. I thought I was the worst mom ever, couldn't even see my own damn baby." She said, watching as Punk chuckled, noticing his breathing was starting to slow a little, "Thea said she would drop by later and she'd show us the picture."_

_All she was trying to do was take his mind away from the situation, it was all she could think of that would help. On the inside she was worrying like crazy. She'd never seen him in this sort of state before._

"_Gotta put it on the fridge." Punk nodded, wheezing lightly, feeling himself getting easier breathing access the more and more his wife spoke to him._

"_Yeah, I told her that. I said she better get a copy for us so we can stick it on the fridge." AJ nodded, "Remember in our old apartment I kept Thea's sonogram up on the fridge until the day we moved out." She said as Punk nodded, remembering._

"_We had a… a lot of pictures on that fridge." Punk nodded._

"_Yeah, then they got exchanged for finger paintings and school spelling awards." She smiled as he nodded, his breathing coming right down as she watched him closely, "What do you think it's gonna be? Boy or a girl?" She asked him._

"_Girl, knowing my luck." Punk said, holding his chest as AJ nodded._

"_I think it'll be a girl too." AJ nodded honestly, "But who knows."_

"_I need a little buddy." Punk shook his head as AJ smiled and nodded._

"_Yeah, I'd like to see it." AJ smiled, noticing his breathing slowing right down, cupping his cheeks and looking at him, shaking her head with confusion, "Why didn't you tell me?" She whispered, leaning her forehead against his, "Baby, why didn't you tell me about this?" She asked. It broke her heart. She had no idea he was suffering in this way._

"_I'm ok." Punk assured her as AJ shook her head._

"_No you're not." AJ shook her head, keeping her hands on his cheeks, "How long have you been having these?" She asked._

"_A couple… months." Punk shrugged as AJ sighed sadly._

"_Phil." AJ sighed, kissing his cheek softly, "Baby, you can get help for this. And you have to talk to me about it." She shook her head, "Please… please don't suffer with this on your own." She looked in his eyes._

"_I don't want you to worry." He shook his head tiredly, running his hand down her arm as AJ shook her head._

"_I worry more if you're not telling me." AJ nodded, "I can help you through it." She said, sitting down beside him and hugging into him tightly as he wrapped his arm around her. He only wished he had told her sooner, because the comfort he got from just telling her and listening to her tell him it'd be ok was so assuring. There were times he really questioned where he'd be without her._


	20. Order Change

**Order Change**

* * *

"Go with your sister and take her to your house." Punk walked over to Thea who shook her head.

"No, no I wanna stay and find her." Thea shook her head as Punk looked at her, "Sean is gonna take Cassie home." She said as Punk looked over to Sean who was standing talking to Cassie.

"Sean." Punk folded his arms, "That's his name?" He questioned. Meeting Sean earlier on in Jude's apartment, he hadn't even questioned or remembered his name.

"Yes. That's his name." Thea said, "Be nice." She shook her head as Punk grumbled, "What are we doing now? Where are we going?"

"There's still a ton of cops out looking. They also think they got lead on a car. I'm just trying to put myself in his shoes, figure out where the hell he would take her." Punk shook his head, "I'm gonna go ask Cassie." He told her as Thea nodded.

She disappeared over to talk to her uncle whilst Punk walked over to the cop car which Cassie was standing outside with Sean.

"Hey." Punk said as Cassie looked over, "You ok?" He asked her, rubbing her arm softly as Cassie nodded.

"I'm ok." Cassie said.

"Ok, Sean is… he's gonna take you to Thea's." Punk turned to Sean who nodded, "You let them know that we're gonna find mom, ok?" He nodded positively as Cassie nodded.

"Are you?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded. Not finding her was not an option in his world, "Before you go… was there anything that Rio said to you or your mom that could have gave away where he was going, where he would have maybe taken your mom?" Punk asked her as Cassie shook her head.

"No." Cassie shook her head and sighed, "No, he didn't give away anything."

"Ok. That's ok." Punk nodded, giving her a warm hug, kissing her head, "You did the right thing by leaving." He said. He didn't want her to feel guilty. He understood why AJ did what she did. He would have done the same.

"I didn't want to leave her." Cassie shook her head.

"I know… I know, but we're gonna find her. She's super brave, right?" He nodded as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, she is." Cassie realised as Punk nodded.

"Ok. You go with Sean." Punk said as Cassie nodded, getting into the cop car as Punk looked over at Sean, "Thank you." Punk nodded to him.

"Just doing my job." Sean said, walking around the car and getting behind the wheel as Punk watched him drive off.

Punk then returned back to where Dean and Thea were standing with Hamilton, "Anything?" Punk asked Hamilton.

"No, but they're still following up on that car." Hamilton nodded.

"Hey, what's this?" Dean interrupted, picking up a piece of rope from the ground.

"It was around Cassie's hands." Hamilton said as Punk looked over.

"This looks like…" Punk took the rope from Dean, looking at it more closely, "The rope we use at the docks." He looked at Dean and Thea.

"Yeah, it's got the red threading through it." Dean noticed, looking over at Punk.

* * *

"What are you gonna do? Drown me?" AJ hissed, being pulled down the boardwalk by Rio. Her hands were still tied behind her back and he had a hold of her around her shoulder and collarbone, dragging her down the long boardwalk.

"Maybe." Rio nodded, "Or I'll shoot you and dump your body in the water." He whispered in her ear, pulling his gun out and pressing it against her temple, "Not even flinching?" He chuckled.

"Hey, if this makes you feel big. If this makes you feel good about yourself, by all means." AJ scolded.

"Yeah? Well how does it feel to know that once I kill you, I'm gonna wipe out you entire family. Even your grandson." He whispered, "James, is it?" He asked.

"You won't get the chance." AJ gritted her teeth, "You've shoot your shot with me and that's all you're gonna get." She spat, "So make it count." She spat. The only comfort she could ride on right now, was knowing that Cassie got out and that she had hopefully reached safety with her family.

"I was so good to you. All of you." Rio spat, "I helped you. I moulded you-"

"You got us in trouble." AJ spat, "And we had the sense to get out." She said, still being walked down the boardwalk, "Why now? Why not years ago? Why wait all this time?"

"Because I've been busy making money and watching from afar." Rio said, "It was satisfying enough to see how much you struggled when Phil was in prison." He said, "Raising another baby on your own. Dealing with a troubled teenager. Being all alone." He smiled, "That was good enough punishment for me but now… now it's a done deal." He nodded.

"You were never going to let it go, were you?" AJ asked, "You sat me down back then and told me that you'd forget about it, but that you'd never help me again." She said, "And I believed you."

"I lied." Rio whispered in her ear as AJ closed her eyes, "Poor April. Always has to suffer at the hands of other people. Always has to pick up the pieces and make everything better." He said, pressing his forehead against the side of her head, "And yet, you're probably the strongest out of all of them." He said.

"You don't know my family." AJ shook her head, turning it away from him, "Maybe you knew me and Phil as a couple of kids who just… who didn't care about anything, who didn't care about consequences." She said, "But we grew up, and we learned." She said, "And that is more than you ever did. You're still stuck in exchanges and crime, and we got to grow up and have a family, and watch that family grow."

"Oh, please. Phil has been in prison for most of his damn life." Rio chuckled, "You two never learned from mistakes. You just got better at dismissing them." He shook his head.

"How do you expect to get away with this?" AJ questioned.

"Like I said, I'm not sticking around here. I've come to do what I have to do and then I'll be gone. Advantages of being a ghost." He smirked.

"April!" Phil yelled, jumping down the stairs and running along the docks as AJ watched.

"Phil." AJ looked over with relief and hope, noticing Dean and Thea were also there.

"Let her go." Punk said, walking down the boardwalk, looking on at Rio standing at the very end with AJ in his grasp. He was shocked to see Rio again, after truly believing he was dead, but right now he didn't have time to live in his shock. Right now he needed to help his wife.

"Look at this. A nice little reunion." Rio smiled, "With the addition of… Thea?" Rio questioned, looking over at Thea, "Yeah, that's Thea. Got the dragon tattoo on her hand." He noticed as Thea looked over, horrified at the sight of her mother in such danger.

"Let her go." Punk shook his head, inching closer down the boardwalk, "You wanna fight with someone? Fight with me." He nodded.

"You'll get your turn." Rio nodded, "You know, I was gonna do this alone but if you want to watch your wife's brains explode, fine with me." He said, pressing the gun up against AJ's temple as she closed her eyes.

"No!" Punk shook his head, "No, please… I… I'll do anything." Punk shook his head, getting closer little by little.

"You see, that's your damn problem!" Rio pointed the gun at Punk as AJ raised her eyebrows, "That's always been your damn problem. Her." Rio pointed the gun back at AJ.

"No… no, point it back at me." Punk nodded, "Let her go." Punk said.

"You two… you two will be the cause of each other's death. I predicted it right from the start when you were little homeless teenagers in love." Rio nodded, "When you love someone like that, you invite this. When you love someone this much, that you would die for them… that's stupid and it will get you killed." Rio nodded, "I mean let's look at the facts. The reason you wound up in prison the first time was because April wanted to help you, because she loved you. I mean… even after she caught you fucking some other girl… she still helped you. Backfired, of course, but still." Rio said.

"Put the gun down." Punk said nervously.

"Let's see, what else, well the whole reason you wound up in prison the second time was because you were working for Marina in hopes that she wouldn't frame AJ for my murder. Like I said… when you care about people like that, you get in trouble." Rio nodded, "You ever wonder why I've never gotten caught with anything? Never been to prison?" He asked, "Because I don't have people around me that care about me, that will make me do stupid, foolish things for me." Rio smiled, "It's always been your problem, Phil."

"Yeah, maybe… maybe I just care too much." Punk nodded, "But I'd rather that than have no one around me who loves me. I'd rather that than being so alone that you fake your own death and… no one even cares." He said as Rio looked at him angrily, "I do care too much, but I have one thing you will never have, and that's family."

"Well, not really." Rio shook his head, "Because I'm gonna wipe out your family, one by one. April will go first, because let's face it, she's the glue that holds you all together." He said, "You'll go next. And then I get to spend time with your daughters. All three of them." He smiled, "And Deano!" Rio called over as Dean stood with Thea worriedly, "You're next, brother. Along with your wife and kids." He nodded.

"Are you that stupid to think you'd get away with that? Are you just living in a fantasy world now?" Punk asked.

"Everything that has gone wrong in both your lives is down to each other." Rio nodded, "It's always been that way."

"Go to hell." AJ whispered as Rio looked down at her.

"What was that?" Rio asked, pressing the gun tighter against her head as she winced a little.

"Go to hell!" AJ yelled.

Rio immediately pulled the trigger, a loud gunshot going off as Punk ducked, looking over, his body shaking as he looked at AJ.

"A-April." Punk looked over.

AJ opened one eye, wondering what was going on, looking up as she saw Rio pointing to the gun elsewhere. She then felt him push her forward towards Punk who caught her in his arms.

"Phil." AJ cried with relief, pulling at his t-shirt and clutching onto him tightly as Punk stroked her face, cupping her cheeks desperately as he looked at her, assuring himself she wasn't harmed.

"Decided to change the order up." Rio walked past them, putting his gun in the back of his pocket as Punk looked at AJ.

"Don't… don't let him go." She shook her head.

"There's cop surrounding this entire place. He's not going anywhere." Punk assured her as she nodded, standing up straight and looking over at the other end of the boardwalk where she noticed Dean was crouched down, with Thea lying on the ground.

"Phil." AJ shook her head as Punk looked over.

They both immediately ran down the boardwalk, reaching the end where they saw Thea holding her side, blood seeping through her clothes and all over her hands as she moaned in pain.

"Thea." Punk crouched down.

"He shot her." Dean shook his head frantically as Punk looked over at Rio climbing up the stairs.

"Ok, hey look at me, it's gonna be ok." Punk nodded to Thea, placing his hands on her side, "Dean, go get an ambulance." He nodded as Dean ran away.

"N-No…" Thea tried to move his hands away from her side.

"Hey, they gotta stay there." Punk nodded, "You're gonna be ok. We'll get you to a hospital and they'll fix you up, ok?" He nodded as AJ knelt beside, tears in her eyes as she watched Thea roll her head back in pain.

"Phil." AJ cried worriedly, watching as Thea went in and out of consciousness.

"Thea… Thea, look at me." Punk nodded as Thea opened her eyes back up, looking up at him, "Don't close your eyes, ok?" He said, "We're gonna get you to the hospital and it'll be fine." He talked to her, keeping his hands pressed on her side which were only getting more soaked in blood.

"Wanna… wanna go home." Thea nodded.

"We'll go home." AJ nodded, taking her hand, "We'll go home, sweetie. Just keep your eyes open and we'll go home." She said, tears running down her face as she realised how scared Thea looked, "It's gonna be ok." AJ said as softly as she could through her tears.


	21. Crucial

**Crucial**

* * *

"What the hell happened? What happened?" Dominic burst through the swing doors in the hospital corridor, followed by Jude who ran behind him.

"She's in surgery." Punk stood up, "We've not… we've not heard anything."

"How the hell did she get shot? What the fuck happened?" Dominic asked hysterically, beside himself with worry.

"He had April and… Thea was over by the end of the docks with Dean. He just turned the gun and… he got Thea." Punk shook his head, still in shock himself whilst AJ was sitting down, staring into a world of her own, barely able to respond. Dean was also at the hospital, standing over leaning against the wall.

"Well… she's gonna be ok, right?" Jude asked, "She'll be fine?" She nodded as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Yeah, she'll be fine." Punk gulped, turning to AJ who was sitting on the chair, shaking almost, her eyes distant as she looked off in the distance, unaware of the space around her, sitting in total shock.

"Mom." Jude cried upon seeing her mother, running over to her, sitting down next to her and hugging into her tightly as AJ sat, wrapping her arms around Jude.

"It's ok." AJ whispered, almost robotically whilst Punk ran his hands through his hair. He couldn't unsee Thea going in and out of consciousness whilst they sat with her on the docks. He couldn't unfeel how tightly she was holding his hand in fear. In that moment, she was still their baby girl, and he had never felt so helpless and scared. He'd gone from being relieved for a few seconds that his wife was ok, to feeling like his whole world was collapsing after seeing Thea hurt.

"Well how long has she been in there?" Dominic paced, "Should I go talk to someone? Ask someone something?" Dominic asked, pacing around.

"Just… take a deep breath." Punk advised as Dominic looked at him.

"What the hell were you doing?!" Dominic shook his head angrily, "Huh? Why'd you let her get involved?"

"She was… she was out of the way, I didn't… I didn't see her getting shot-"

"She shouldn't have been there in the first place!" Dominic yelled, "You should have sent her home, with Cassie-"

"I tried, Dominic." Punk said, "She wanted to come. She wanted to help her mom. I couldn't talk her out of that." He said.

"She shouldn't have been down there." Dominic shook his head, continuing to pace whilst Punk rubbed his forehead, turning to AJ who was still hugging Jude, who was equally upset.

"Phil, where is she?" Sam burst in through the doors along with Cassie.

"Who the hell is with James?" Dominic asked.

"Renee." Sam said, "What's going on? Is she ok?" Sam asked.

"Mom!" Cassie exclaimed as she spotted her mom, running over to her, sitting at the opposite side of Jude and hugging into her as AJ squeezed her tightly, hugging both of them tearfully.

"I'm ok, baby." AJ kissed Cassie's head, holding them both tightly, needing the comfort so much.

"What happened?" Sam asked Punk.

"She was… Rio shot her." Punk nodded, "And she's in surgery right now. She lost a lot of blood on the way here." He said as Sam placed her hand over her mouth, "I… I don't know." He put his hands up, tears welling in his eyes, "I don't know how she is or… if she's…" He couldn't bring himself to say it.

Sam shook her head, rubbing his arm softly, "We'll hear from the doctor soon." She said, trying to remain calm.

"Where is James?" Dominic asked Sam again, not taking anything in from when she answered him a few minutes ago.

"James is fine. He's with Renee at the house." Sam nodded, "He's all good." She assured him as Dominic nodded, continuing to pace around the crowded area as Punk looked over at AJ who was embracing and seeking comfort in Jude and Cassie, holding onto them tightly, a circle of worry forming between them as he sighed.

Of course he was blaming himself. Retracing his steps. Wondering what he could have done to prevent this. Wondering what he could have done to help his daughter, to keep her from getting hurt. He couldn't lose her. It was unimaginable.

* * *

"_Daddy." Three year old Thea hummed, sitting at the kitchen table in their small apartment, brushing her little pony's hairs, lining them up neatly on the table whilst Punk sat across from her, having breakfast and reading the paper._

"_Mhm?" Punk hummed back, looking over at her._

"_What's your favourite?" She asked as he looked at all the pony's curiously._

"_I think the one with the rainbow hair." Punk nodded to himself, "Or the green one." He said._

"_No, the green is my favourite." Thea said possessively, "Her name is Minty."_

"_That's not very creative." Punk scoffed, "It's almost bus time." He noticed the time as Thea smiled excitedly._

"_Oh." Thea smiled to herself, tidying her pony's away neatly and jumping off the chair, "C'mon, daddy." She encouraged, running away into the living room as Punk chuckled to himself._

_He sat his dishes in the sink, wandering through to the living room where Thea was leaning over the back of the couch, looking out their apartment window. _

"_Is it there yet?" Punk asked her._

_His days off consisted of spending it with his daughter, and there were no better days. She, in all her tiny person glory, was the most fascinating and amazing person in his life. She was a ball of energy, mischievous but sensitive. He really thanked her for the lessons she taught him every day. There was nothing better._

"_It's not there yet." Thea said, leaning over the couch, looking out the window onto the street._

"_It's late today." Punk said, kneeling on the couch and leaning over the back beside Thea, nudging her a little as she fell over._

"_Daddy, stop being childish." Thea grumbled, kneeling back up._

"_Where'd you hear big words like that?" Punk chuckled._

"_Mommy says it to you." Thea said as Punk nodded to himself with a smile._

"_I bet Misses Smith has two shopping bags today." Punk said as Thea shook her head._

"_No, she'll only have one." Thea said, "And fat Joe will be drunk!" She chuckled crazily as Punk watched her with a smile. He got joy out of her craziness. _

"_He was drunk yesterday." Punk said._

"_He's always drunk, daddy." Thea informed him as Punk nodded to himself. He'd introduced her to the world of people watching and she loved it._

"_Look, here it is." Punk noticed the bus pulling up at the bus stop across from their apartment building._

"_Fat Joe." Thea giggled as she watched the man get off the bus._

"_Yeah, he's definitely drunk." Punk scoffed, "Ha, misses Smith has two shopping bags, I was right." Punk smirked childishly as Thea folded her arms unhappily, "I win."_

"_No, you don't." Thea shook her head, "Oh, look it's Donald!"_

"_Who is Donald?" Punk shook his head._

"_The dog. It's a beagle." Thea pointed._

"_I don't even know that person." Punk laughed._

"_I only met him once. At the store with mommy." Thea told him. They lived in a rough, dangerous, but close knit street where they knew everybody who was local, he was pretty sure Thea knew more people than he did though. "Daddy, can I have a dog some day?" She smiled sweetly._

"_You gotta ask mommy." Punk nodded._

"_You always say that." Thea scoffed._

"_She makes the decisions around here." Punk shrugged. _

"_Then I'll ask her when she gets home from work." Thea said confidently as Punk smiled._

"_Ok, come do my hair cause we got a lot to do today." Punk said, kneeling back off the couch and heading off into the kitchen._

"_Wait, I need your brush and bandana." Thea followed him into the kitchen quickly with excitement._

* * *

"Are you… all here for Thea?" A doctor came into the waiting room where she could see a large group of people standing around.

"Is she ok?" Dominic walked over, "Is she… is she out of surgery?" He asked as the doctor looked over at all of them standing waiting. AJ and Punk had stood up and were looking over with hope.

"She's… she's out of surgery." The doctor nodded, "But Thea is in… very critical condition right now." She emphasised, "The next few hours are vital to her recovery." She said, "We managed to stop the internal bleeding and stitch her up, but her body went into shock, she needed several transfusions." She explained, "She's stable at the minute, but… only a few visitors in the room." She said, noticing how many people were standing around.

"When will she wake up?" Punk asked as the doctor looked over at him.

"We don't know." The doctor nodded truthfully, "We'll know more about her condition within the next couple of hours." She said, "For now, a few people can go into the room." She said as Punk nodded.

"Thank you." Punk nodded as the doctor walked away. He turned around, hugging his wife who sadly hugged into him, the worry not shifting as they realised their daughter's life was hanging by a thread.

"I'm going in." Dominic shook his head, rubbing his eyes with his arms and walking away down the corridor to find Thea's room.

"You two should go." Sam advised AJ and Punk, "We'll… we'll be out here." She nodded.

"Yeah, go on." Dean agreed as Punk and AJ nodded.

They headed down the corridor and found Thea's room, walking inside and pausing at the door as they looked on at their daughter lying in the hospital bed, tubes around her nose and in her mouth helping her breathe, machines bleeping loudly beside her. It was any parent's worst nightmare.

AJ leaned into Punk, crying softly as Punk kissed her head, walking further into the room and over to the bed. Either one of them could only wish they could swap places with their daughter right now. It was just instinct.

Punk leaned over, pressing a kiss on Thea's head, "It's ok." Punk whispered, "Mom and dad are here." He said whilst Dominic sat beside, holding her hand.

It was very scary and very real to see her like this, and to know these hours were crucial. Words couldn't do it justice how hopeless and empty they all felt at the sight of Thea so badly hurt, but if there was one thing they knew about Thea, it was that she was one hell of a fighter.


	22. Be Better

**Be Better**

* * *

"_Where is dad?" Thea asked, sitting at the kitchen table in her house during Thanksgiving. Her and Dominic were hosting this year for a change to give her parents break from it. She was five months pregnant and told Dominic she felt more comfortable unzipping her pants after dinner in her own house._

"_He disappeared like five minutes ago." Jude said, sitting beside her sister._

"_He's been gone longer than that." Thea shook her head, looking over at her mother who was sitting talking to Dean and Renee around the table. It was Thea's favourite holiday. It wasn't like Christmas where presents were involved, it was all about family and being together. And as someone who had a very dysfunctional yet incredible family, it was a pretty good holiday._

"_Maybe he's gone to the bathroom." Jude shrugged, not so bothered as she continued to talk to her cousin beside her._

"_I'm gonna go check." Thea said, standing up from the table._

"_Hey, where are you going?" Dominic asked her._

"_I'm gonna go check on my dad." Thea nodded. She hadn't talked to anyone about it, but she had noticed a little change in her father as of late. It was almost like he was trying to avoid everyone sometimes, and that wasn't like her father. _

"_Ok, well dessert is up soon so don't miss that." Dominic smiled as Thea chuckled._

"_I would never." Thea said, kissing his cheek as she headed out of the busy kitchen, walking down the hallway and into the living room where she saw her father sitting down on the couch, "Hey." Thea shook her head with confusion, watching him lift his head up, "You ok?" She asked him._

_Their relationship had definitely matured over the years. When he first got out of prison, she still felt like a little girl crying and screaming over losing him, but getting through all of that, they wound up on the other end, and she felt like she really did have her father back the way she used to have him. _

"_Mhm." Punk nodded, rubbing his hands on his knees nervously, feeling his heart palpitating as Thea watched him taking deep breaths. Bearing in mind, she was a doctor, the symptoms and the way he was acting really began to jump out of her._

"_Dad." Thea said as he looked up at her and nodded, "Are you having a panic attack?" She noticed his breathing, walking over him, sitting down on the couch beside him as he nodded._

"_Yeah, but it's… I'm ok, it's dying down." Punk assured her._

"_When… I didn't know you had panic attacks." Thea shook her head, "How long have you been having them?" She asked._

"_A few months." Punk nodded, "But I'm ok. I'm… I'm seeing someone, like a… a therapist, I guess." He rolled his eyes._

"_Judging by the eye roll, you're not too happy about that?" Thea questioned._

"_Well it's your mom that's making me go." Punk waved his hand, "I think I can fix it on my own, you know-"_

"_No, I don't." Thea shook her head, "If these are bad panic attacks, you don't have to suffer, you can get help for them-"_

"_I'm not taking medication." Punk scoffed stubbornly as Thea nodded. She knew how stubborn he could be._

"_No one is asking you to." Thea nodded, "I bet the therapy is helping." She said as Punk shrugged, "You know there's nothing to be embarrassed about, right?"_

"_I know that but… I… I don't panic, it's not me." He said, "I've always been pretty calm, you know? I've never been a worrier, but whenever I'm around everyone or… or if I think about prison… I don't know, I just lose it." He shook his head as Thea nodded._

"_You were in a pretty confined space for eight years, dad. I guarantee that can change a person." Thea understood, "The most important thing is that you talk about it, tell us, we can help." She nodded._

"_You got your own life and your own things to worry about." Punk scoffed._

"_Yeah but nothing comes over as a priority to your health." Thea said, "Is this therapy helping?" She asked. It was heart-breaking to know her father was dealing with this, and in such silence. She never wanted him to feel like it was a burden._

"_I don't know." Punk shrugged, "Maybe." He nodded, "I haven't been getting them as much and they aren't as bad as what they were."_

"_That's a good thing." Thea smiled, "Coming from someone who had to go to rehab and AA meetings a lot, you get over the shame of it pretty quickly, especially once you realise that it's actually helping." She nodded, "I mean… it's stronger to get the help than to ignore it, right?" She said as Punk smiled._

"_You're so old and wise." Punk smiled as Thea scoffed._

"_Please don't call me old." Thea shook her head as Punk chuckled and nodded, "Is that why you haven't been wanting to go to the Hawks games with me recently?" She asked him as he nodded._

_They always went every playoff season to all the games. It really was their thing, and as of late she felt like he had been skipping out on a lot. She never thought it was because of this._

"_Yeah, they… they've became kinda difficult." Punk shook his head._

"_Dad, you could have just told me." Thea frowned._

"_Look, I'm dealing with it. I just didn't want to worry you. Especially when you got so much going on." He nodded._

"_I just don't want you to hide it, because you don't need to. I mean it's a fairly common thing, you know. I see it all the time at the outpatient clinic. Men, women, children… all different ages." Thea nodded._

"_You do?" Punk asked._

"_Yeah." Thea nodded, "It's common." She assured him, "And there's ways to get through it. C'mon, I need someone to go to the games with." She teased as Punk smiled. _

"_It's definitely gotten better. It's still there but… I think because I've acknowledged it more I recognise what sets it off." He said as Thea nodded, "I guess the therapy sort of helped with that." He nodded as Thea smiled._

"_Keep going. It will help you." Thea nodded. She knew her father hadn't had the easiest of times in his life. It was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Having everything and then losing it all in cycles. She was sure that took a toll on someone's mind at some point, but she never wanted him to suffer with it._

"_You've not unzipped your pants yet." Punk noticed._

"_No, I've not." Thea nodded, "But just you wait until I get my hands on the cake." She smirked, "I'm gonna need some elbow room for sure. This baby likes sweet things." She nodded, placing her hand on her baby bump as Punk smiled._

"_When your mom was having Jude she used to go through boxes of graham crackers. Like she'd have them her drawers at work. Sit and eat a box after dinner on the couch." Punk said, "That was her thing."_

"_I don't really have a go to yet. I'm sure I'll come across something." She smiled as Punk nodded, "I think we were about to have dessert." She said, "Do you wanna come back in or are you good here?" She asked him._

"_I'm good here just now." He said, "I'll come back in soon."_

"_Ok." Thea smiled, shuffling over and wrapping her arms around him tightly, "We're all here for you. Whatever you need." She said as he smiled, hugging her back tightly._

"_Thank you." Punk nodded, "Go on, go get your dessert." He said as she smiled._

"_Oh, I'm going, don't worry." She chuckled, getting off the couch and wandering back into the kitchen as Punk smiled. He still had the privilege of learning from his daughters. The kindness and compassion all three of them had was something he was extremely proud of. If anything this unfortunate situation had taught him, it was that his family was everything. _

* * *

"You two can go home if you like. I'm gonna stay with her." Dominic told AJ and Punk, sitting on the chair beside Thea's bed in hospital whilst Punk sat at the opposite side.

"I'm not going anywhere." AJ shook her head.

"Me neither." Punk told Dominic who just nodded.

"Where is he?" Dominic asked.

"Where is who?" Punk asked quietly.

"The guy who shot her. Where is he?" Dominic spat.

"Arrested." Punk said, "The cops got him. Let them deal with him." He nodded.

"She shouldn't have been there." Dominic shook his head, holding Thea's hand as he looked at her, feeling like he was watching his entire world on life support. Strictly speaking, he was.

"I know she shouldn't have." Punk agreed. He was mentally kicking himself for not being more adamant about Thea leaving. Of course he was thinking about the what ifs. What if he just told her to go with Cassie. But that was just self-torture.

"She's strong." AJ nodded, taking a deep breath, taking a hold of Thea's other hand, "She'll fight this." AJ said. Truth be told, she felt numb watching her daughter in a hospital bed, in such critical condition. It was her definition of hell.

"One minute she was in the house and then… then she wasn't." Dominic said.

"She went to visit Jackson." Punk said as Dominic looked over at her, "To see if she could find out where April and Cassie were. And she… she figured out who took them." Punk nodded, "She found us at the club. She refused to leave. I did ask her to." Punk nodded, "But she was so worried about finding her mom and her sister… there was no telling her at that moment." He said as Dominic nodded.

"She's always been stubborn." Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, we know." AJ smiled to him, "She used to… make her own bed when she was three." She said, turning to Punk who nodded fondly with a smile, "She'd be up, making her bed, getting her cereal out, laying her clothes out… and if we even so much as tried to help her she'd go nuts." AJ chuckled as she remembered.

"Yeah, that was her." Punk smiled, looking on at Thea.

"She's got so much to live for." Dominic shook his head, "She keeps me sane, you know?" He shook his head, "Only reason I went back to that stupid AA meeting was because I met her." He said, "She made me wanna be better." He shook his head, wiping his eyes with the top of his hands.

"I know the feeling." Punk nodded as AJ leaned over, tucking Thea's hair out of her face and sighing.

"She's strong." AJ whispered to herself, "She's gonna be ok." AJ nodded to herself, trying to convince herself out loud, trying to put it out there in the world, otherwise she'd fall apart.


	23. Waiting

**Waiting**

* * *

"_Hey, Dominic. You ok?" Punk opened up the door, surprised to see Dominic standing on his own._

"_Hey." Dominic nodded, walking into the house, "Just you home?" Dominic asked._

"_Yeah, I'm just home actually." Punk said, "Ape is still at work, Cassie is… she's at her friend's house for dinner or she's at the movies… I-I can't remember." He admitted as Dominic chuckled, "Jude is also out with a friend. I… I can't keep up." He put his hands in the air, walking down to the kitchen._

"_Yeah, I bet." Dominic chuckled._

"_Is everything ok?" Punk asked him, "Is Thea ok?"_

"_Yeah, she's fine." Dominic nodded, "It was uh… it was actually you I wanted to talk to you."_

"_You wanted to talk to me?" Punk asked him as Dominic nodded. He was fortunate enough to really get along with Dominic. In his mind, no one was ever going to be good enough for his daughter's, but he knew that was just him being protective. He could see first-hand just how much Dominic cared for Thea, in all the right ways, and that actually put him at ease. It made things like, Thea moving out, a lot easier._

"_Yeah I did." Dominic nodded._

"_You good?" Punk asked with concern._

"_Yeah, everything is fine." Dominic chuckled as Punk looked at him. He could sense nervous energy coming from Dominic and he really couldn't figure out what he was nervous about._

"_So… what do you want to talk to me about?" Punk asked him curiously, folding his arms as Dominic rubbed the back of his neck nervously._

"_So… obviously you know that I really care about Thea." Dominic nodded, "And we've been together for a few years now and… look, I couldn't imagine anyone getting me through the things she's helped with." He nodded, "She's just… she's different. And it's just something I don't ever wanna lose." He said, trying not to look Punk in the eye. This was a very scary thing to do._

"_Where is this going?" Punk asked curiously._

"_I don't know, maybe… maybe this is old fashioned or whatever but… you've been good to me, you and April. You've really welcomed me in and treated me like family. I don't have parents so… I always tell Thea how lucky she is to have you both, because you're great-"_

"_You're not trying to like butter me up for something, are you?" Punk wondered, "Have you like murdered someone?" He chuckled._

"_I've not murdered anyone." Dominic promised, "I uh… I wanna ask Thea to marry me." Dominic nodded as Punk raised his eyebrows, not expecting that._

"_You want to…" Punk repeated quietly, "Huh?" He shook his head._

"_Yeah, I… I love her and I wanna spend the rest of my life with her." Dominic nodded as Punk looked across at him, nodding to himself._

"_You didn't have to come ask me for… permission." Punk said, "You know that, right?"_

"_I know." Dominic nodded, "I know but… I just wanted you to know." He said._

"_Look, I'll be honest, all I want is for my daughter's to be happy. No matter what it is they're doing." Punk nodded, "You make Thea happy, it's impossible not to see that." He said, "I appreciate you telling me. If you're looking for some sort of blessing or approval, you got it." Punk smiled as Dominic nodded with relief, "You can stop sweating now." He smiled as Dominic chuckled._

"_Dude, I'm pitting so bad right now." Dominic admitted as Punk chuckled._

"_Come on, I'm not that scary, am I?" Punk chuckled._

"_No, it's just… it's a big thing and well it's important to me." Dominic said as Punk smiled._

"_I'm glad it is." Punk nodded, "And hey, you don't have to marry my daughter to know that I'll beat your ass if you hurt her." He shrugged, "You already knew that." He said as Dominic chuckled and nodded._

"_I knew that." Dominic nodded, "I just feel really lucky that I met her." He admitted as Punk smiled and nodded._

"_I'm glad she met you." Punk smiled._

* * *

"I'm uh… I'm gonna go get a coffee." AJ said, rubbing her tired eyes, standing up from her chair in the hospital room as Punk nodded to her, "You want one?"

"No, I'm fine thanks." Punk nodded to her.

"Should I wake him and ask if he wants anything?" AJ asked, looking over at Dominic who was sleeping by Thea's bed. He was sitting on the chair with his head resting on her bed by her hip, still holding her hand_._

"No, just leave him." Punk nodded.

"Ok." AJ said, rubbing Punk's shoulder as she left the hospital room.

It was going into early hours of the morning and Thea still hadn't shown any positive signs of progress. She was still fast asleep, unresponsive in a way, and they were all just hoping and praying for some sort of movement soon.

AJ left the hospital room, walking down the corridor where she saw Jude and Cassie asleep on the waiting room chairs. Sam was also sitting by the coffee machine, surrounded by empty coffee cups. Dean was also dozing on and off too.

"Anything?" Sam asked as AJ walked over to the coffee machine which she was sitting beside.

"No, she's… she's not woken up yet." AJ said, taking a cup.

"Well the doctor said it could be hours before she wakes." Sam nodded positively.

"I know but… the longer she stays sleeping the more… the more danger it becomes… I think." AJ shrugged. She was just judging by the doctor's tone of voice.

"She'll open her eyes." Sam nodded confidently, "She's stubborn, like her father."

"Yeah, she is. If she wasn't she wouldn't have been down there in the first place." AJ shook her head, making up her coffee and sitting down across from Sam, "Phil is just sitting in there watching her. He's barely saying anything." She said.

"I think he's in shock. It's been a… a scary twenty-four hours." Sam nodded.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "It's not really sunk in that… he's actually alive." She shook her head.

"It doesn't have to. He's going to prison for a very, very long time." Sam said, "Maybe he can do some bonding with his son in there." She spat with disgust as AJ nodded, taking a sip of her coffee, "What'd he say to you?"

"Nothing new. Just that he never planned on actually forgiving me for what I did all those years ago." AJ said, "He also said that me and Phil are gonna be the cause of each other's death." She nodded to herself, "And that all the bad things that have happened to us over the years is because of each other." AJ said.

"You can tell that has come from the mouth of a man who has… absolutely no one." Sam said, "He'll never know love."

"I don't think he wants to." AJ shrugged, "I never thought he was so bad like this. He was so helpful to us at the beginning-"

"You ever think that… you were just young, impressionable teenagers who needed some money?" Sam asked, "I mean… in a way, he took advantage of you. All three of you." Sam said, looking over at Dean who was sleeping.

"Yeah, I guess he did." AJ nodded, "I just never heard anything bad about him. Not until after…"

"After you went from his good side to his bad side?" Sam said as AJ nodded to herself.

"He wanted to kill all of us." AJ shook her head, "And he thought he'd get away with it."

"I guess there has to be some kind of delusion that comes with that sort of evil and insanity." Sam said as AJ nodded.

"I still think about it, you know." AJ said.

"What?" Sam asked her.

"What he tried to do to me. When I was pregnant." AJ gulped as Sam looked over at her, "That night you found me."

"There's a special place in hell for people like him, sweetheart. Believe me." Sam nodded.

"Honestly, I'd rather have a gun against my head than… go through that again." AJ admitted as Sam nodded.

"Yeah, I get it." Sam said.

"You do?" AJ asked as Sam nodded to her.

"Yeah. I do." Sam nodded, "More than once." Sam whispered to herself as AJ looked across at her.

"I'm sorry." AJ shook her head.

"It's ok." Sam said as AJ looked across at her.

"What ever happened to Phil and Dean's dad?" AJ asked, "Sorry, I know… random question." AJ nodded, "He just… he never talks about him."

"Because he doesn't know him." Sam said, "Their dad left when I was pregnant with Dean. Phil was one. There's nothing to know."

"Who… Who was he? Didn't you ever tell them about him?" AJ asked.

"They never asked. I got the impression they didn't want to know." Sam said, "I was super young and he was a little older." She said.

"You think your life would be different if he stuck around?" AJ asked her.

"I don't know… or care." Sam shrugged, "I preferred that he left if he didn't care instead of staying and pretending." She said as AJ nodded to herself.

"Makes sense, I guess." AJ nodded, "Do you think they've forgiven you?"

"I don't know." Sam said, "Most days I know I don't deserve to have son's like them. They're good boys. Always were." She nodded, "And I… I wasn't there to protect them when they needed it the most." She shook her head as AJ nodded.

"Phil appreciates you for the effort you've put in with the girls. Especially Thea. You were always there for her, even if it was behind our backs at one point." AJ nodded, "But I know that he won't ever forgive you for the childhood they had to endure." She said, "Chained to oven doors." AJ looked across at Sam who nodded.

"I wouldn't forgive me either." Sam nodded, "I didn't know he told you that much."

"Told me when we were sixteen." AJ said, "He told me everything." She nodded, "Why didn't you do anything to help?"

"I was never sober." Sam said, "I barely knew it was going on, and when I did find out… made me wanna drink and shoot up even more." She said, looking over at Dean, "I remember the police showing me pictures of them." She shook her head, "I can still see it in my head."

"They're strong men." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I agree." Sam whispered, "I often wonder where they both got it from. How they wound up to love and care the way they do." She shook her head.

"Phil loves his children the way he wishes he was by his parents." AJ nodded, "Dean does the same." She said as Sam looked at her, "When Thea was little we talked about it all the time. How we just wanted to make her feel the way we wanted to feel as kids." She said.

"You're very good parents." Sam said.

"My daughter just got shot in front of me. It's up for debate." AJ said.

"That wasn't in your control." Sam said, "Thea is tough as nails. She'll fight." Sam nodded.

"Yeah." AJ took a deep breath, "I'm gonna go back into the room." She said as Sam nodded, "I'll come out and let you know if she wakes-"

"When she wakes." Sam nodded with a positive smile as AJ stood up and nodded.

She walked on down the waiting room, taking her cardigan off and walking over to Jude and Cassie, putting it over them both as they slept, using each other's shoulders as pillows.

She walked on down the corridor with her coffee, heading back into the room where Thea was still fast asleep, Dominic too.

"You get something?" Punk asked tiredly as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, just a coffee." AJ nodded, sitting back down beside him as Punk nodded, "I was just… talking to your mom out there."

"Are they still all out there?" Punk asked.

"Yeah but they're sleeping." AJ said as Punk nodded, "You can close your eyes if you want."

"No, I'm fine." Punk assured her right away as AJ nodded, watching as he kept his eyes on Thea the entire time.

"Bless his heart." AJ whispered, looking over at Dominic as Punk nodded.

"Yeah he's not letting her hand go until she's woken up." Punk said. It was very obvious.

"Phil." AJ sat up a little, noticing Thea's other hand moving a little, "She's moving." She noticed as Punk looked on, watching as Thea's eyelids began to twitch.

"G-Get a doctor." Punk nodded to AJ who ran out of the room.

Punk watched, miraculously, as Thea opened her eyes. It was a pretty distant stare, but her eyes were open.

"Thea." Punk smiled, "Hey. Hey, you're ok, sweetheart." Punk stood up, watching as she closed her eyes back over for a few seconds, opening them back up, "We're all here, sweetie. It's ok." He took her other hand as Thea looked at him, squeezing his hand ever so lightly as she closed her tired eyes back over, opening them back up every now and then as Punk took a deep breath.

It was the biggest relief.


	24. Stable

**Stable**

* * *

"Thea, I'm Doctor Kate Brown, how are you feeling right now?" The doctor asked, standing in the room with Punk, AJ and Dominic.

"Sore." Thea grumbled tiredly, "My… my side is really sore." She said, in a lot of pain, close to tears as she rolled her head back on the pillow.

"Ok, we're gonna up the morphine but it might make you a little drowsy-"

"I don't care, just give me the drugs." Thea shook her head as Punk looked over at her.

"Yes, ma'am." Kate smiled, "There's no further signs of internal bleeding which is a great sign. Your wound is fully dressed. The consultant will be around later tonight to see how things look. Lot of rest for you right now, young lady. A lot." Kate emphasised to the room, towards Dominic as well as AJ and Punk.

"She's got a big family desperate to help her, don't worry." Dominic nodded as Kate smiled.

"Well that's half the battle." Kate nodded, "You're very lucky, Thea."

"I uh… I feel really light-headed." Thea admitted, screwing her eyes up at the light in the room. After coming around and waking up properly, she came to her senses and realised where she was and what had happened to her. And then came the overwhelming, unbearable pain of her side.

"That's normal. You may also feel a little bit nauseous but that'll be from the pain." Kate said, "I'll up your dose right now and come back with the tablets."

"Ok." Thea nodded, "Ok, thank you." She nodded tiredly, watching the doctor leave the room, "I feel like I can't breathe." Thea groaned, trying to place her hand over her side.

"Don't touch it." AJ said with concern, "You heard the doctor, she's gonna up the strength of the medication to help." She nodded, brushing Thea's hair out of her face.

"Where is James?" Thea suddenly lifted her head from the pillow, "Where is he?" She asked Dominic.

"He's at the house with Renee. He's fine." Dominic assured her.

"Can you bring him in? I want to see him." Thea nodded.

"Baby, I'll bring him in tomorrow, ok? It's through the night right now and you need to get some rest." Dominic nodded.

"Oh." Thea nodded, "What time is it?" She asked curiously.

"It's 4am." Punk said.

"Where is Cassie?" Thea asked suddenly.

"Cassie's outside with Jude." Punk nodded, "They're both ok." He said as Thea nodded. Her head was a little woozy with all the medication she was in already, "You just need a lot of rest right now, your body has been through a lot."

"I went to see Jackson." Thea turned to Dominic tiredly, "Did I tell you?"

"N-No, no you didn't but it's ok." Dominic nodded.

"I should have told you, I'm sorry." Thea shook her head.

"Hey, you didn't need to tell me." Dominic said, "You were just trying to find your mom and sister. And we did, and they're all ok." Dominic smiled as Thea nodded.

"Did we find my mom?" Thea asked Dominic as Dominic looked over at AJ.

"Sweetheart, I'm here." AJ said, walking over to the side of the bed as Thea turned around.

"Oh." Thea noticed drowsily, "Oh, hi." Thea smiled.

"Hi, sweetheart." AJ smiled, leaning in and kissing her head, "We're all ok." She nodded, "And you're gonna be ok."

"I'm gonna be ok." Thea nodded tiredly, "Can I see James?" She asked again. Her head was all over the place with the pain, the medication and the exhaustion.

"I'm gonna bring him tomorrow." Dominic nodded, sitting down on the chair beside her bed, "I'll bring him then."

"Ok." Thea nodded, "Do you want to get in beside me?" Thea asked as Dominic chuckled a little.

"Your parents are in the room." Dominic whispered as AJ and Punk chuckled to themselves.

"Oh." Thea realised, "Well when they go." She nodded, resting her head back on the pillow tiredly, dozing in and out of sleep as Punk watched her with a relieved smile.

"I'm so glad she's awake." AJ shook her head, hugging into Punk as he nodded, kissing her head and squeezing her with equal amounts of relief.

"Me too." Punk nodded.

"Hey, you guys don't have to stay here the whole night." Dominic looked over to them, "I'll be with her." He nodded, "You should get home and get some rest." He said as Punk nodded, more so thinking of AJ who had quite frankly had a very traumatic day. They all had.

"Yeah, ok." Punk nodded, "She'll probably be sleeping anyway." He assured AJ who nodded.

"Yeah, we'll let her get some rest." AJ said, walking over and giving Thea a kiss whilst Punk did the same after her, eventually leaving the hospital with the rest of their family.

* * *

"What do you think is happening to him right now?" AJ asked, sitting in the kitchen with Punk later on after they got home.

"I don't know." Punk shook his head, "And I don't care." He said truthfully.

"He's finally gonna go to prison." AJ nodded, "I mean… talk about ending up where you belong." She shook her head as Punk nodded.

"Could have lost three of you tonight." Punk shook his head as AJ looked across at him.

"You didn't lose any of us." AJ assured him, "Men like him… they get off on other people's fear way more than they would get off on misery or grief." She said, "I just… I can't believe he's even alive. It's still a shock."

"Yeah, did he say how he managed to pull that one off?" Punk shook his head. They were finally getting a peaceful moment to talk to each other after the chaos and the worry had settled down.

"Just that he knew the right people, and he knew that Marina was gonna have him killed on their wedding day so he was prepared." AJ shrugged.

"Why'd he stay gone for so long?" Punk shook his head, "I mean… who the hell does this?"

"I don't know. Evil." AJ nodded, "He said he found work elsewhere and with you being back in prison, it was enough punishment for me at the time anyway." She said, "Said he was passing by Chicago and thought it'd be a good time-"

"Good time to wipe out our entire family and think he would actually get away with it?" Punk shook his head.

"The thing is, I don't know if he even thought he'd get away with it." AJ shook her head, "Maybe he's lost his mind."

"I was so scared today." Punk shook his head, "When I realised you and Cassie were gone." He said, "I… I didn't even know what to do."

"You got to us quickly." AJ smiled, "And we're… we're gonna be ok. All of us." She said, reaching over and taking his hand as he nodded.

"Yeah." Punk gulped, "I love you." He shook his head. Seeing her with a gun pointed to her head was really one of the most terrifying moments of his life. It really put into perspective just how much she meant to him. She was like a part of him. A part of his soul. Losing her would be like losing himself.

"I love you." AJ said, standing up and walking around the table, sitting down on his knee and hugging him tightly as he buried his head into her shoulder.

"Please don't ever leave me." Punk muffled against her shoulder as she smiled, playing with his hair.

"I promise." AJ whispered, kissing his head.

"Do you think Cassie is ok? She was quiet on the way home." He said, lifting his head from her shoulder.

"I think she's exhausted." AJ nodded, "But she's a brave girl." AJ nodded to herself.

"Well she's watched you all her life." Punk said as AJ smiled, flicking his chin sweetly.

"I'm gonna make Thea up a little bag of stuff. She's probably gonna be in there for a while. She hates hospital food-"

"How do you know?" Punk laughed a little.

"When she was… when she was in hospital when she was younger, when she was sick." AJ shrugged as Punk nodded slowly.

"Oh." Punk realised.

"She'd make me sneak in food so… I assume the same rules will apply." She smiled, "I'll go to the store tomorrow and fix her some stuff up, buy her some new pj's and stuff-"

"The girl is twenty six years old." Punk laughed a little.

"And?" AJ scoffed, "I am always going to mom them. No matter what age they are." She said as Punk smiled.

"I know." He said, "I'll come with you, we can go before we head to see her." He nodded.

"Yeah, ok." AJ nodded, "Let's go to bed." She said, hopping from his lap and pulling him up by the hands, leading him out of the kitchen and heading to bed together.

* * *

"Jude, there's someone at the door for you." Kirsty called into Jude's room as Jude got up from her bed, feeling emotionally and physically exhausted as she walked out of her bedroom, noticing Sean standing in the apartment.

"Oh, hey." Jude wakened up a little more.

"Hey." Sean smiled whilst Kirsty disappeared back into her room, "Sorry to show up here unannounced." He said as she walked over to him.

"No, you're fine." Jude shook her head.

"I just wanted to see if you were ok, actually." Sean nodded as Jude smiled.

"I'm ok." Jude nodded.

"Yeah?" Sean said as Jude nodded, "How is your sister?"

"She woke up earlier. That's why I'm home." Jude said, "She's in a lot of pain but so far she's doing ok. Long recovery probably but I'm just glad she's… still with us." Jude shook her head, "For a second I thought she wasn't gonna be."

"I'm real sorry this happened to your family. No one should have to deal with that. That type of worry and violence." Sean said as Jude nodded.

"I'm just glad everyone is ok. And that you guys caught Rio." Jude said.

"Yeah, he's under strict surveillance." Sean nodded, "And believe me, he won't be getting out."

"I should hope not." Jude said as Sean nodded.

"Your dad doesn't like me, does he?" Sean put his hands on his hips as Jude looked at him.

"He doesn't know you." Jude said, "He's just got a funny thing with cops, that's all." She nodded, "And he's just protective of me and my sisters." She said as Sean nodded.

"Yeah, I get it." Sean nodded, "He's not gonna stop me from asking you out on another date, though." He shrugged as Jude smiled a little.

"I don't mind that." Jude said as Sean nodded, "I think he'd like you once he got to know you." She assured him.

"Well I hope so." Sean said as Jude smiled, "I guess meeting him whilst being half naked wasn't really the best first impression." He said as Jude chuckled, "Maybe your mom will like me better."

"My mom will like you." Jude nodded with a smile, "So when is this date happening?" She smiled.

"Tomorrow night, if you're around. My place. I'll cook." He nodded, wrapping his arms around her as Jude smiled.

"You cook?" Jude smirked.

"I'm gonna try." He said as Jude smiled.

"You're sweet." Jude nodded, "Thank you for coming to check on me."

"Well I wanted to make sure you were ok." Sean nodded as Jude smiled.

"You got anywhere you need to be right now?" She asked him.

"No, I just got off." Sean said as she nodded, shuffling back towards her bedroom as he chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, this is fine with me." He nodded, picking her up and walking into the bedroom as he closed the door over behind them.


	25. Alone

**Alone**

* * *

"You guys just missed James and Dominic." Thea said tiredly, sitting up in bed later on in the day as she watched her parents come through the door.

It was a couple days later and Thea was a little brighter, but was still in a ton of pain and on very heavy pain medication. She could barely from how painful her body was, but the doctor was still happy with how she was doing.

"How long were they here for?" AJ asked, walking into the hospital room. The room already had a ton of cards by the window. A bunch of flowers in the corner. Candy and chocolates that Jude had brought in. There was definitely a sense of family, and AJ knew Thea would appreciate that. She was aware of how distressed hospitals made her feel after her past experiences.

"Since morning." Thea said, "I still can't really hold James but even just seeing him right now is enough." Thea nodded. She was finding it difficult being so immobilised by her injury. Not being able to care for her son was really upsetting her, but she knew it would just take some time.

"I hope he's behaving." Punk teased.

"My son always behaves." Thea scoffed as Punk smiled.

"Hi, baby." AJ wandered over to Thea, kissing her head, "How you feeling?" She asked her, tucking her hair behind her ear as Thea nodded tiredly.

"I'm ok." Thea said as AJ nodded, letting Punk get in to give her a hug and a kiss too, "You guys don't have to come in here every day, you know."

"Oh, but we just love to hear you complain about hospital food." Punk teased, kissing her head and giving her a gentle cuddle as best he could without hurting her.

"I'm serious. I don't want you guys sitting here all day watching me sleep." Thea chuckled. She had been sleeping for the majority of the time. The medication she was on was so strong that it just made her want to sleep.

"If we want to sit here and watch you sleep we will." AJ tutted, "I brought you some things in." She picked up a bag, "New pj's, some sour patch kids, M&Ms, can you light a candle in here?" AJ pulled out a candle from the bag as Punk rolled his eyes.

"I don't think so." Thea rested her head back on her pillow, smiling a little.

"Well it's in there anyway. Also brought you some colouring in books, I know you still do it when you get stressed sometimes so… it could kill some time." AJ nodded.

"Mom, you're too much." Thea nodded, "I've honestly been sleeping most of the day." She said, "It sucks." She said.

"I know it does." Punk sighed, "But hey… you'll be out of here in no time." Punk nodded positively.

"Actually it could be a few weeks. Kate was around this morning and she was telling me about the risk of tearing tissue or hernia's, and she estimates about three or four weeks I'll be here." Thea said as they both looked at her, "You can both probably guess who excited I am about that."

"Hey, baby they know best." AJ nodded, "They only want to make sure you're healthy and safe. We all do. So… if that means you gotta stay in here for a little bit longer than you excepted, that's just how it's gonna have to be." She said.

"I can't even hold James." Thea shook her head with frustration.

"I know but that'll take a little bit of time." AJ said, "Your body has been through a lot. It needs rest, plenty of rest. You're the doctor, you know all of this." She said as Thea rolled her eyes.

"Don't pull the doctor card on me." Thea scoffed as AJ and Punk smiled.

"Has Jude been to see you today?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, she was in this afternoon when Dominic and James were in. She also brought me candy and pyjamas." Thea said, "And told me all about the cop she's now dating-"

"What?" AJ shook her head as Punk groaned, "Jude is dating a cop?" AJ questioned as Thea nodded.

"Yeah and don't tell Dominic I said this, but he's a hot cop." Thea nodded as Punk folded his arms childishly, "Oh, grow up." Thea scoffed, rolling her head back on her pillow tiredly, feeling sleepy and drowsy again as the meds kicked into her system.

"How did I not know about this?" AJ asked, "Did you?" She turned to Punk who didn't say anything, "Phil?"

"He knew." Thea lifted her head back up, "And he was mean about it." She raised a brow.

"I wasn't mean." Punk defended.

"You were. Very mean." Thea said.

"How did you know about this and I didn't?" AJ questioned.

"Well Hamilton told me." Punk said, "So I went over there to talk to Jude about it and… wound up… you know…" Punk raised his eyebrows.

"Walked in on them screwing." Thea clarified loudly as Punk scoffed, "And then he started being mean to Jude."

"I wasn't being mean." Punk defended, "I'm looking out for her. Let's look at Jude's dating track record. Asshole, asshole, cheating asshole, another cheating asshole, more assholes." Punk said, "And cops are like… all assholes." Punk shrugged.

"That's only because your ass is always on the wrong side of them." Thea shook her head.

"No, that's not the reason." Punk said, "I don't want to see her get hurt, again, ok?" He made clear to them both, "That is the only reason I'm concerned."

"Well she sounds like she really likes him." Thea said.

"Why? What'd she say?" Punk asked curiously.

"Well she went on another date with him. Things are going well." Thea said.

"Phil, you better not be interfering." AJ crossed her arms and looked at Punk.

"What? I wasn't, I was just… look, can't a father try and protect his daughter from getting hurt?" Punk asked. The truth was, that was all he was trying to do.

"She's twenty-one. Let her live." Thea said, "From what I hear, this guy is really nice-"

"Why am I the last to find out?" AJ asked sadly, "I'm always the first to find out these things."

"Not a nice feeling, is it?" He said childishly as AJ rolled her eyes, turning around and noticing Thea was dozing off.

"Why didn't you tell me?" AJ asked, a little quieter.

"I've not had the chance. I found out and then I came home from Jude's and you and Cassie were gone. It became the least of my worries." Punk said.

"Thea is right. You can't interfere with that-"

"I'm not interfering." Punk said, "How many times has Jude been dating some guy who ends up being a dick and hurting her? I don't wanna see that-"

"How do you know this boy isn't wonderful? You're judging him on the basis that he's a cop?" AJ questioned.

"No." Punk scoffed.

"You are." AJ said, "You have to give him a chance. Especially if Jude really likes him. Don't you want her to be happy?"

"Well of course I do." Punk said.

"Then give the boy a chance." AJ said.

"Yeah, you were never this mean to Dominic." Thea woke back up, drifting in and out of sleep.

"You're awake again." Punk noticed, "Well I could see how much Dominic cared about you. It was obvious." He said, "So it didn't worry me."

"Jude's only met this boy." Thea said, "Give him a chance at least." She said, "The difference between me and Jude is… if you said all that stuff to me I wouldn't give a shit let's be honest." Thea said as Punk rolled his eyes, "But Jude does. She cares what you think."

"And you don't? Thanks." Punk nodded.

"I do but sometimes you just give me a headache, you know?" Thea nodded as Punk looked across at her.

"And you say I'm mean?" Punk questioned, "I'm mean?"

"You can be." Thea nodded, "You gotta give the boy a chance." She said as Punk sat back on his chair, "And to think you have more of this to come with Cassie too." Thea chuckled quietly to herself as Punk looked over at her with an arched brow.

"I preferred when you were asleep." Punk scoffed as Thea smirked cheekily and closed her eyes back over tiredly. In a way, it was good to see Thea in her usual form. The first couple days after she woke up had been difficult to watch, but slowly but surely her personality was shining through again.

AJ's phone began to ring from her purse as she leaned down and picked it up, answering the phone and standing up.

"It should be in my office." AJ said on the phone, "It's definitely there. I remember sitting it on my desk." AJ said, pacing up and down in the room as she spoke to her assistant whilst Punk watched, "No, it can't be sent late. It should have been sent today." She said as Thea fell back asleep.

"Just keep looking." AJ said, getting off the phone eventually with stress.

"What's wrong?" Punk asked quietly.

"They can't find some documents at my work, that were supposed to be sent away today." AJ shook her head, taking a deep breath.

"Why don't you go check it out? I'll stay here." Punk nodded, looking over at Thea, "She's sleeping anyway." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm gona have to." AJ said, "Just call me if anything happens." She said anxiously, not wanting to leave her daughter after just getting there, putting her coat on.

"Nothing will happen." Punk shook his head as she nodded, leaning down and kissing him.

"Ok, I'll be as quick as I can." AJ said, leaving the hospital room in a hurry whilst Punk switched the TV on in the room, keeping it down low.

* * *

Later that night, AJ was still at work, having called Punk to let him know she was having a crisis. Of course he sat and let her panic with him on the phone call before hanging up to figure out what she was doing.

He was still at the hospital, watching the cubs game on the TV whilst Thea continued to sleep. She slept through dinner, but he supposed she did that intentionally.

"Oh, come on." Punk scoffed, looking up at the TV as Thea began to wake up again, looking over at her father sitting watching the game, smiling a little.

"I don't know why you bother watching." Thea said sleepily as Punk turned around.

"Hey." Punk smiled.

"Where is mom?" Thea asked tiredly.

"She had to go to work quickly, some emergency." Punk said, "You slept through dinner but the doctor told me she'd come around and see if you wanted anything later."

"I'm fine with my M&Ms." Thea said.

"You gotta eat something." Punk said fatherly.

"I don't even feel hungry." Thea admitted, "I'm just so tired all the time." She sighed. It was very frustrating for her. She could barely move and felt exhausted and drowsy the entire time.

"I know." Punk sighed, "But you'll build your strength up every day." He nodded as Thea looked at him, nodding and frowning a little, "What?" He asked, noticing there was something on her mind.

"When me and Jude went to file the report at the station, we talked to Hamilton." Thea said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Pain in the ass, right?" Punk smiled as Thea looked at him sadly, "What?" He shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Thea asked.

"Tell you what?" Punk shook his head.

"About you and Uncle Dean. When you were kids." Thea said, resting the side of her head on the pillow as she looked across at him. She wasn't sure if it was the amount of medication she was on or the fact she had her dad in the room on his own, but it just came out, and she could tell by the look on his face that he didn't expect it.


	26. Closure

**Closure**

* * *

"What-What do you mean?" Punk asked hesitantly, looking across at Thea. He heard what she had said, and of course he knew what she was referring to, he just hadn't been confronted with it in a very long time. It was something he really didn't talk about, especially not with any of his children.

"You know what I mean." Thea said tiredly, looking over at him, "Why did you never tell us?" She asked, "Does mom know?" She wondered.

"How much did he tell you?" Punk asked, clasping his hands over his mouth.

"He told us quite a lot." Thea said, "We even got… pictures." She shook her head as Punk leaned back on his chair and sighed.

"Why the fuck did he do that?" Punk spat angrily to himself, "Just when I thought he was trying to do decent things-"

"Hey, I think he did it from good intentions." Thea nodded, "He wasn't doing it to shame you or expose it… he just wanted us to know the kind of… the kind of life you came from. I mean I knew it was bad but I didn't… I didn't know it was that bad." Thea shook her head.

"Yeah, well I didn't tell you because it's in the past and I don't really wanna talk about it." Punk said bluntly as Thea looked at him.

"Does mom know?" Thea asked.

"Yes." Punk nodded briefly.

"She does?" Thea asked, surprised. She only assumed that no one knew, but she supposed that highlighted just how deep her parents relationship went.

"Of course she does." Punk nodded.

"It's not something you had to hide from us." Thea said, "I mean it's awful… it's terrible." Thea shook her head, "What happened to you and Uncle Dean." She said, "I mean now I understand why you find it so difficult to talk to Sam. I never understood why you couldn't just try with her but… now I get it." She nodded.

"I appreciate my mom for the way she was there for you, and for your sisters, and even for your mom when I was gone. But yeah… I… it's impossible to look past all of that stuff that happened." Punk shook his head, scratching the back of his neck nervously and looking down at the ground.

"Talk to me about it." Thea whispered tiredly as Punk looked up, "I'm not a little girl." She reminded him.

"I know, it's not… it's not about you being old enough to know." Punk assured her, "I just… I don't really confront it at all. I mean I do everything in my power to avoid thinking about it."

"Do you remember it?" Thea asked him as he nodded.

"Yeah, I do." Punk nodded, "I mean it… it didn't stop until we were eleven or twelve." He said, "Until we could fight back I guess." He said.

"Why did you never get taken into care? Permanently?" Thea sighed.

"Well we would. We'd get taken in for a few nights but we… we'd either get split up or the people we got put with weren't very nice. So we always agreed, as brothers, to always just go back home. Because then we still had each other." He nodded as Thea frowned.

"No kid should ever have to go through that." Thea shook her head, "And like… I don't know if it's because I'm a mom now or what but… all that stuff just gets to me even more." She said as Punk nodded, "How did Sam not notice how bad it was?"

"She never saw how bad it was, I don't think. She was always drunk or high. She was never really there." Punk shrugged as Thea nodded.

"When did you tell mom?" Thea asked him.

"When we were younger." Punk nodded, "And I haven't spoken about it since." He said, "Well… not until now." He admitted.

"The way Hamilton presented it to us, it was like he believed that was the reason that… that you wound up involved with Rio and the drug business." Thea said, "Because you didn't have any sort of guidance or support as a kid. In fact, you had the complete opposite."

"You can debate that until the cows can home. Why I wound up down that road. Maybe it is because of that." Punk shrugged, "But who knows." He said as Thea looked at him.

"Jude knows too. We were both there when he told us." Thea let him know as Punk nodded, suddenly pausing as he recalled Jude saying something when they were fighting, realising it made a little more sense now.

"It's nothing I dwell on, nothing I look back on and… analyse." Punk said, "It happened, I moved on, I grew up and it's… it's not an issue anymore." Punk said simply.

"It can still be there, subconsciously." Thea reminded him, "I just don't want you to hide any parts of your life from us. You know all the horrible things that have happened to me."

"I'm your dad. I'm supposed to know those things." Punk said.

"Yeah, exactly." Thea nodded as he looked across at her, "What about your dad?" She asked curiously.

"My dad?" Punk questioned.

"Did you know him? I don't think I've ever heard you speak about him before." Thea said.

"I never met my dad. Neither did Dean. I don't know his name. I don't know where he is or what he looks like." Punk nodded to himself, "That's never really bothered me, though. If anything I think it… actually might have helped me. I knew that it sucked not having a dad and basically not really having a mom either. So it made me wanna do my best for you girls. I… I don't think I particularly did but-"

"Do you really think that?" Thea asked sadly as Punk shrugged, "You're the best dad anyone could ever ask for." She said as Punk smiled a little.

"Did they up your dose of morphine?" Punk wondered jokingly.

"I'm serious." Thea nodded, "I know there's been some struggles but… you've always done your best. Even when we had nothing. When we lived in that terrible little apartment." She said as Punk smiled, "You and mom worked really hard to give me something better and… I won't forget that." She said as Punk smiled.

"You were pretty easy to entertain back then." Punk said, "I used to hide your things and you'd spend the whole day looking for them. One time I threw one of your toys out the window and you were looking for it the entire day." He said.

"Ok, maybe that's a little cruel." Thea smiled.

"I mean I brought it back in, of course. And you found it." Punk said, "It was then I realised that you weren't a quitter. You didn't give up." He nodded.

"Yeah, well I certainly wish I knew how to quit sometimes." Thea nodded, "Do you think you would benefit from talking to Sam about it all? You and Uncle Dean?"

"I don't think so." Punk shook his head, "So much has time has gone by, you know? It'd be like picking at really, really old wounds." He said, "I don't think there'd be any point. It won't change anything."

"It might give you some closure." Thea shrugged.

"I got my closure." Punk assured her, "When I met your mom. Found someone that I could talk to about all of it. That was my closure." He nodded, "It helped me move on from it and just focus on my life for the now and not so much the then." He said.

"I just don't want you to keep anything in." Thea shook her head, "Trust me, I know what happens when you stop talking to people. And you shut off from everything." She said, "I did it and I ended up in rehab multiple times." She said.

"Well if we're on the subject of opening up and not keeping things in. You… You never really talked to me about when you were in hospital for that long time." Punk said.

"Oh, maybe I don't feel like talking." She waved her hand sweetly as Punk smiled.

"It's easier to be on the asking side, huh?" Punk said as Thea nodded, looking across at him as he waited.

"I mean I… It's the worst I've ever felt in my entire life." Thea nodded, "It wasn't like a pain like this." She pointed to her side where her wound was bandaged up, "It was like an ache that just didn't leave. All over my body." She said, "I uh… I couldn't use my hands. Mom had to feed me everything." She nodded as Punk raised his eyebrows, "I mean… it was pretty bad." She nodded, looking down.

"Yeah but you got better." Punk said, "And that was on you. You put the work in. No one else." Punk nodded.

"Yeah I guess but… the worst part wasn't really what was happening to me." She said, "It was seeing what it was doing to mom and Jude. Jude was the one who found me in my room." She shook her head, "And I can't take those memories back. That's with them for life now and I… that's the part I hate the most." She said.

"I know but all they care about is that you're safe and healthy now. All the good cancels out the bad. Every time." Punk said as Thea nodded with a smile.

"Mom put up with a lot of shit with me." Thea nodded.

"Hey, that's the whole idea of parenting." Punk teased, "James will get older and you'll get it."

"No, me and him made a deal that he's not getting older." Thea said as Punk smiled.

"Yeah well I wish I got to sign one of those deals." Punk nodded as Thea smiled across at him.

There was a strange sort of relief he got from knowing that Thea and Jude knew about his pretty unfortunate childhood. It was something he kept close to the vest, no other reason than because it was difficult to talk about, but his daughter's just had this sort of quality that made it a safe environment for him to talk about anything, and he appreciated all three of them for that in their own ways.

"Ok, I'm going into the M&Ms." Thea announced, reaching over and opening them up, sitting them beside her on her bed as Punk smiled as he watched her.


	27. Made Up

**Made Up**

* * *

"There's worse things in the world than your daughter dating a cop, Phil." AJ shook her head, walking up the stairs to Jude's apartment.

"I disagree." Punk mumbled, "I just… I just don't like him. He's smug."

"You met him once for a couple of minutes." AJ scoffed, "You're being unfair to Jude."

"April, it is not my fault she has terrible taste in men." Punk scoffed as AJ shoved him on their way upstairs.

"Stop being a child." She waved her hand, "I bet he's lovely." She said as Punk rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe you're making me apologise for just… for caring about my daughter's feelings. I haven't done anything wrong." Punk folded his arms childishly as AJ shook her head, approaching the apartment door.

"You were wrong to judge him and make Jude feel like she's doing something wrong. You have to apologise for that." AJ nodded, "What if this is the man she ends up marrying? And this is how we remember the first encounter? All this animosity?" AJ questioned.

"There's so many other guys out there." Punk whined.

"Phillip. Enough." AJ warned as Punk rolled his eyes, watching as AJ knocked on Jude's apartment door.

It didn't take long for Jude to come answer the door, letting her parents in, "Hey, mom." Jude smiled, always happy to see her mom no matter the time or place, hugging her tightly as AJ hugged back. Jude looked over at Punk standing minding his own business whilst she hugged AJ.

"Hi, sweetie." AJ smiled, pulling back from the hug and cupping Jude's cheeks, "You look good."

"Thanks." Jude chuckled a little, looking over at her dad, "Hi, dad." Jude said casually.

"Hey." Punk nodded.

"What are you guys doing here?" Jude asked, "I'm sorry, this place is a mess-"

"It's always a mess." Punk scoffed.

"Well I don't get a chance to clean it much since I work part-time and go to college. Mom gets that, don't you?" She smiled to her mom who nodded, taking her coat off.

"Hey, I went to college, worked part-time and took care of a toddler. I know how exhausted you must be." AJ nodded, "We've just came back from the hospital."

"How is Thea?" Jude asked.

"She's doing ok. She's just really agitated." AJ nodded.

"Yeah she tried pulling out her catheter the other day when I was in." Jude said as Punk rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Yeah, she's not an easy patient." Punk shook his head, "I think she's upset that she can't hold James or really spend time with him." He said.

"Yeah, I know." Jude said, "But she is getting better. It's just gonna take a little bit of time." She said, "When I tell her that she just goes off on one. Says that everyone keeps saying that to her and she's sick of it." She said.

"Were you there today?" AJ asked.

"No, I just got home like half an hour ago from college." Jude said, "Mom, you want a coffee?" She asked.

"I'd love one." AJ nodded as Jude wandered to the kitchen.

"What? I don't get an offer?" Punk turned to AJ who chuckled and shrugged.

"Maybe it's what you deserve." AJ hummed, wandering on through to the kitchen as Punk put his hands on his hips and scoffed. There was definitely a downside to having a family filled with all females. Occasionally, they would team up against him. He never won many fights. He never won any actually.

"There's also some cake over there if you wanna grab yourself a slice." Jude pointed.

"Oh, I'm ok." AJ assured her, "Where is Kirsty?"

"She's out on a date, I think." Jude nodded, handing her mom the coffee as they walked over to the kitchen table, whilst Punk eventually made his way into.

"Am I allowed in here?" Punk asked.

"I suppose so." Jude dismissed him, "So where's Cassie?" She asked her mom, sitting down at the table with AJ whilst Punk scoffed. It was clear he was getting the invisible treatment.

"She's at soccer practise. We'll pick her up on the way home from here." AJ said as Jude nodded, "I totally thought Thea would be in hospital for maybe a couple weeks but… I think it's gonna be more than what we all thought." She said, "I mean she still can't walk properly."

"Yeah, I know." Jude sighed, "I feel for her, I really do but… the fact she's on the right track is a positive." Jude nodded.

"Of course." AJ nodded, "She's extremely lucky." She shook her head as Punk sat down at the table beside her, "She spilled the beans on you and your new… date." AJ smiled as Jude raised her eyebrows, "Why didn't you tell me?" She smiled excitedly as Jude looked over at Punk who wasn't saying anything.

"Well… there's been a lot going on." Jude nodded.

"What's his name? Where's he from? What's he like?" AJ smiled as Punk stayed quiet.

"His name is Sean. He's a cop." Jude smirked, looking over at Punk who watched her smiling deliberately at him, "He's really sweet and kind. Funny."

"If he's funny you can just laugh. No need to date." Punk shrugged as AJ stomped on his foot hard under the table.

"You just can't help yourself can you?" Jude shook her head as Punk shrugged, "You know nothing about him and you have no right to judge him on anything." She said as AJ turned to Punk.

"Jude, I'm just trying to help-"

"By telling me how to live my life?" Jude shook her head.

"No, I'm just trying to look out for you. That is all." Punk said, "Maybe…" He looked at AJ staring at him, "Maybe I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and assumed this guy is a jerk but… all I want is for you to be happy."

"He does make me happy." Jude said, "And it's all really new right now. But it's going well and I refuse to feel guilty for it because you have some weird thing against cops." Jude shook her head.

"No I have this weird thing about protecting my daughter's from jerks." Punk said as Jude looked over at him, "Look I'm sorry." He put his hands up, "It wasn't fair for me to say those things I said." He nodded as Jude looked at him.

"Yeah, you're right, it wasn't." Jude said.

"I swear, it comes from a good place." Punk said, "I just want you to be happy."

"I am." Jude said, "Sean is really sweet. And you'd probably get along with him if you just gave him a chance." She said, "He actually does care about me. I can tell the good ones from the bad ones, believe me." She shook her head, "I mean look… he got me tickets for us to go to an art exhibit this weekend at Soho." She said, showing them the tickets.

"Oh, that's really sweet." AJ smiled as Punk looked on.

"That's nice." Punk nodded sincerely.

"Yeah, it is." Jude said, looking over at Punk.

"I'm sorry, ok?" Punk nodded, "If… if this guy-"

"His name is Sean." Jude arched a brow.

"If Sean is making you happy, and he's treating you well then that's all that really matters to me." Punk nodded.

"And me." AJ smiled.

"It doesn't matter that he's a cop." Punk said, "That was… wrong of me to judge him by that." He nodded as AJ smiled, "I do just want you to be happy, it's all I care about."

"Well I am." Jude nodded, "He's really nice." She said, "He actually cares about me and listens to me. Obviously." She held up the tickets which Sean had gotten them.

"Yeah, that's really sweet." AJ smiled, "Well I can't wait to meet him. It's Cassie's birthday soon, maybe you could bring him to the house or something." She said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Jude nodded, looking over at Punk who had his head down, "I forgive you for being a jerk." She nodded as Punk looked up, "I know it comes from a good place." She nodded.

"It does." Punk nodded, "But I'm sure he's a good guy." He said as Jude smiled.

"Do you want coffee?" Jude asked, realising she hadn't asked him upon her bitterness earlier.

"Yeah, that'd be good." Punk smiled a little as she smiled and nodded, standing back up and heading over to the kitchen area to make him some coffee whilst AJ leaned into Punk, kissing his cheek as he smiled.


	28. Changes

**Changes**

* * *

"_How much have we got in this account?" Twenty two year old AJ asked, sitting at the kitchen table in their apartment late on one night, bundles of money sitting out in little piles._

"_Three hundred in that account." Punk looked at the letter, "We can dip into the house funds if we need to." He said, "Let me see the list she made with you again?" Punk asked._

"_Here." AJ passed over the Christmas list to Punk, watching as he tied his blonde hair back in a bobble, "She made it with me weeks ago." AJ smiled, counting out some more money, "These are all my tips from November." AJ said, separating another pile of money on the table._

"_She has three play dough sets on the list." Punk looked at AJ who shrugged._

"_She couldn't decide." AJ said as Punk nodded, "There's also a my little pony on there that doesn't get released until the week before Christmas so we're gonna have to be quick with that one." She told him._

"_Talking Scooby-Doo?" Punk questioned as AJ nodded._

"_Yeah, it's like a big Scooby-Doo teddy but it talks when you press it's paws and stuff." AJ nodded._

"_Oh." Punk nodded, impressed and intrigued._

"_Yeah, I thought that you would like that one." AJ smiled._

"_I do love myself some Scooby." Punk said, "Ok, we should… we should manage everything on this list." Punk nodded positively._

_Christmas was always a stressful time for them both. With the need to try and give their daughter the best possible gifts, and do all they could do please her with anything she'd politely asked for from Santa, it was incredibly stressful, especially when they both didn't have the greatest amount of money, and were saving everything towards getting their first house together._

"_You know what she said to me the other day when we were talking home from the park?" AJ asked him._

"_What?" Punk said._

"_She said mommy how does Santa give his presents to the people who live on the streets?" AJ nodded._

"_She said that?" Punk asked._

"_Yeah, I mean she sees it. Walk by it every day." AJ said, "She saw a guy in a sleeping bag on the strip and asked me if that was his home." AJ nodded as Punk frowned, "She notices these things. She's very observant." _

"_She's a sweetheart." Punk nodded, "I just wanna make every Christmas special for her." He said as AJ smiled and nodded._

"_Yeah, me too." AJ nodded, "It's amazing getting to actually buy her things and afford all of this." She said, "I know we gotta preach that money and materials don't buy happiness but… she's a kid and to see her excited about new toys and gifts, it's the best." AJ smiled as Punk nodded._

"_It is. I wanna give my kids Christmas' they remember-"_

"_Kids?" AJ smiled a little as Punk shrugged and nodded._

"_Yeah, in the years to come." He shrugged as AJ smiled._

"_You're thinking a lot more ahead than I am." She said as Punk shrugged. _

"_You know I have an uncontrollable imagination." He said as AJ chuckled and nodded._

"_Yeah, you do." She agreed, "When do you wanna start getting some things?" AJ asked him, "I was thinking we could store them at Dean's like we did last year." She said as Punk nodded._

"_Yeah, let's do that." Punk nodded, "The sooner the better really." He said as AJ nodded, noticing Thea toddling into the kitchen, in her pyjamas with messy bed hair, rubbing her eyes and holding her koala bear she'd gotten from a pet store after wanting to go look at the rats and mice._

"_What are you doing up, baby?" AJ asked as Punk turned around and spotted Thea, quickly folding up her Christmas list and putting it in his pocket._

"_I woke up, mommy." Thea said simply. _

"_Oh, you did?" AJ smiled, watching as Thea walked over to Punk, climbing up onto his lap and sitting on him, placing her hands on the table._

"_Can I help you?" Punk smiled as Thea nodded._

"_What you doing?" She wondered, looking at the money on the table._

"_We're just doing some adult stuff." AJ nodded._

"_Oh." Thea nodded tiredly, leaning back against Punk and hugging her koala bear, "Is it a secret?" She wondered._

"_It's a huge secret." Punk nodded as Thea crooked her neck to the side and looked up at him._

"_I don't like that." Thea huffed as Punk smiled, "You have to tell me secrets."_

"_No we don't." Punk teased as AJ smiled, "You need to get back to bed." He said, fixing her hair at the back which was sticking up, all fuzzy from sleep._

"_Daddy I can't." Thea huffed._

"_Why not?" Punk asked._

"_I woke up and now I'm awake." Thea shrugged._

"_Well then we just have to get you back to sleep." Punk nodded._

"_Maybe I can do adult stuff." She sat up, putting her hands on the table and looking at the money._

"_Babies can't do adult stuff." AJ shook her head._

"_Mama, I'm not a baby." Thea narrowed her brows at her as AJ smiled._

"_You're my baby." AJ nodded._

"_And mine." Punk said, tickling Thea's sides as she immediately began to giggle and wriggle around, "The baby has to get back to bed." He stood up, lifting her over his shoulder as she continued to giggle, causing AJ to smile so big._

* * *

_Ten years later…_

"_These are your Christmas lists?" AJ asked tiredly, sitting at the kitchen table feeding two month old Cassie whilst Jude and Thea got ready for school. _

"_Yes." Thirteen year old Thea said._

"_Yeah, but maybe I'll add some more to it I don't know." Seven year old Jude said whilst munching on some toast._

"_More?" AJ shook her head, "Jude, it's the full page."_

"_I'm just giving Santa some options." Jude shrugged, sitting beside Thea at the kitchen table._

_Thea was doing homework that she was supposed to do the night before whilst eating her breakfast, not really paying attention to the rest of her family._

"_Well maybe you should just narrow your options down to save Santa the trouble. He's got a lot of presents to get remember." AJ said._

"_That's true." Jude realised, thinking to herself as Thea shook her head._

"_And what's on your list?" AJ looked over at Thea, taking her list from her and looking on at it, "Hair straighteners?" AJ questioned._

"_That's not a toy." Jude turned to Thea with confusion._

"_I don't wanna play with toys I'm not a child." Thea batted as Jude rolled her eyes._

"_Make-up?" AJ questioned, looking over at Thea who shrugged._

"_Doesn't Santa just deliver toys?" Jude asked with confusion._

"_No, you idiot." Thea shook her head._

"_I'm going to change some things." Jude nodded to herself, "Does he really deliver anything?" She asked them._

"_Pretty much." Thea nodded as Jude looked back at her list, taking a pencil from her bookbag and rubbing some things out as AJ smiled sweetly._

"_What are you changing, baby?" AJ smiled, looking down at Cassie who was having her morning feed._

"_Just some things." Jude said briefly as AJ nodded. _

"_Uncle Dean is going to take you to school this morning. He'll be here in five minutes." AJ noticed the time. Time these days was something that seemed to just stand still. Ever since Punk had gone._

"_We can walk." Thea rolled her eyes, doing her homework._

"_I'd rather you didn't." AJ said, "Thea, I asked you to do your homework last night." AJ shook her head._

"_And? I didn't want to do it last night." Thea said as AJ stared across at her. There was a definitely an attitude change in Thea since Punk had gone. She wasn't sure why, but it was very obvious. But at times, Thea had been her biggest helper, especially with Cassie. _

"_Do I send my letter in the post box?" Jude asked as AJ nodded._

"_Yeah, I'll get you an envelope and you can put it in there. We'll post them soon." AJ nodded._

"_Do you know his address?" Thea teased her sister._

"_Yes, the North Pole." Jude said with a cocky smile._

"_His zip code?" Thea asked as Jude looked at her with confusion._

"_I don't know that." Jude realised._

"_Guess you can't send it then." Thea teased as Jude looked horrified, turning to AJ with worry._

"_I'll find the zip code for you, baby. It's ok." AJ smiled as Jude nodded._

"_Ok, well you have to." Jude nodded with worry, "Thea, I'm going to burn your letter in the fire." Jude told her sister as AJ shook her head._

"_Whatever." Thea shook her head, unbothered, scribbling down some math answers as AJ watched her._

"_Do you both have your lunch? I packed it up and left it sitting-"_

"_I got mine." Jude nodded._

"_Yes, I have mine." Thea nodded._

_It'd been extremely hard being on her own with three children, one who was only a new-born baby. It was exhausting and mentally draining, but they got her by, they numbed the pain a little. The pain of missing her husband so dearly, especially at the holiday season._

"_Ok, why don't you start getting your jackets on? Dean should be here any minute." AJ said._

"_Ok." Jude nodded, jumping off the chair and getting her jacket on, fixing her bookbag independently and putting her arms through the straps. _

"_Come give me a kiss." AJ nodded as Jude ran over to her, giving her mother a hug and a kiss, as well as her baby sister who was still having her bottle peacefully._

"_I changed my list and number one is the most important present." Jude explained as AJ nodded._

"_Ok, baby." AJ smiled, "I hope you have a good day at school. Learn lots so you can tell me all about it."_

"_I will." Jude smiled excitedly, running away out of the kitchen and down to the front door to wait on their uncle picking them up. Dean had been helping out a lot since AJ was at home most of the time with Cassie._

"_You too." AJ nodded to Thea who was packing her bookbag up, "Have a good day." AJ smiled as Thea nodded._

"_I will." Thea said as AJ smiled, "See you later." She said lethargically, leaving the kitchen to go join her sister at the front door to wait on their uncle._

_The girls eventually got picked up whilst AJ began to eventually burp Cassie over her shoulder, whilst she did so she reached over for Jude's list curiously, sitting it down in front of her and reading it, tears forming in her eyes as she saw what was at the top of her list._

'_Daddy to come home'_

_She continued to burp Cassie, tears running down her cheeks as she did so, sobbing in the lonely kitchen, wishing for the exact same thing every day. _


	29. Wedding

**Wedding**

* * *

"_I wasn't even this nervous for my own wedding." Punk shook his head, pacing a little in the hotel room where Dean was sat over by the window, necking down another whiskey which he'd cracked open the second he woke up._

"_Hey, today is a good day, brother." Dean assured him as Punk nodded along._

"_I know, I know but I'm just nervous." Punk said, patting his chest nervously, "I just hope it goes how she wants it to go, you know? I hope it's amazing for her."_

"_I'm sure it will be." Dean nodded, "She's been planning it for a year. I'm sure it's gonna be just how she wanted it." He said as Punk nodded._

"_And I know Dominic is a good guy. I know he is." Punk nodded to himself._

"_Of course he is." Dean reassured Punk who was still pacing._

"_He really cares about her. And he's been there for her." Punk nodded to himself, "Even through the bad stuff." He said as Dean nodded, "And she's happy with him."_

"_She is." Dean nodded, "Come on, you don't gotta assure yourself with anything." He stood up, "I know it's a scary thought that your kid is getting married and she's pretty much living her own life completely now." He said as Punk nodded, "But if anything… you should just be super proud of her."_

"_I am." Punk nodded, "I am super proud of her. She's overcome a lot." He said as Dean nodded, "She deserves the best day." He said as Dean nodded, "I just can't believe she's getting married." He sat down on the edge of the bed, "That little kid we used to hide toys from."_

"_I know, right?" Dean smiled._

"_She grew up with me and April. I was still a kid when I had her. She… she taught us so much." Punk shook his head as Dean nodded, "And now that little kid is out on her own." He said._

"_Maybe save this for your speech." Dean smiled._

"_I've got my speech ready, don't worry." Punk nodded, "I plan to embarrass her a little but it'll be funny."_

"_She'll kill you." Dean chuckled as Punk nodded._

"_Yeah, probably." Punk smiled, looking at his phone for the time, "I should probably go check on things. We should be getting ready to go soon."_

"_Yeah, I'm gonna head off." Dean said as Punk nodded._

"_Ok. Let's go." Punk nodded, leaving his and AJ's hotel room for the night, going separate ways. Punk headed down the rest of the hotel corridor whist Dean left to go to the ceremony which was already crowding with people._

_Punk headed to the suite at the end of the corridor, knocking on the door nervously. He truly meant it when he said he wasn't even as nervous for his own wedding as he was right now. It was a different type of nervous. _

_He waited outside until AJ came to the door, opening it up as he turned around, smiling as he saw her in her dress, fit like a glove, hair and make-up done to subtle perfection as always, the only woman he ever looked at and felt weak._

"_Hey, you look handsome." AJ smiled, walking out and fixing his tie a little as Punk watched her with a smile._

"_You look beautiful." Punk nodded as she smiled, "I like the dress." He said as she smiled, turning around for him as he nodded, "Yeah, definitely like it." He said as she chuckled._

"_Thank you." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him sweetly as he kissed back, his nerves subsiding a little with the comfort of his wife._

"_Everything going ok?" Punk asked, pulling back from the kiss._

"_Yeah, we've had fun." AJ smiled. It was a dream day for her, helping her daughter get ready for her wedding day. _

"_Yeah, I heard you all from our room at 7am this morning." Punk nodded as AJ smiled._

"_No one could sleep." AJ shrugged, "We almost had a dilemma with the dress but we sorted it out. Well… I sorted it out, because mother knows best." She said confidently as Punk smiled._

"_Of course." Punk said, "Well Dean is already away down to the ceremony. It's approaching that time." He said._

"_I know." AJ smiled nervously, "Well it should just be you and the girls left at the end." She said as Punk nodded, "So I should get going." She said._

"_Isn't Renee and the girls in with you?" Punk asked._

"_They were but they've not long left to go get a seat." AJ said as Punk nodded, "Come in." She told him, walking back into the hotel suite as Punk followed, spotting Jude and Cassie who were in matching dresses respectively as bridesmaids._

"_Hey, you two." Punk smiled, "You look great." He nodded as they smiled, "Where is Thea?" He questioned._

"_She's in the bathroom." AJ said, grabbing her purse and getting ready to go._

"_She's not trying to get out the bathroom window, is she?" Punk teased as AJ scoffed, walking over to the bathroom door and knocking on it._

"_Thea, I'm gonna go get a seat now, ok? Your dad is here." AJ let her know._

"_Ok." Thea called back as AJ smiled._

"_Ok, I'll see you all out there." She announced excitedly as Punk smiled, watching as she took off from the room, leaving him with his three daughters._

"_You scrub up nice." Jude noted as Punk chuckled a little._

"_Thanks." Punk laughed, adjusting his tie, "Are you trying to say I normally look like a slob?" He asked them both._

"_Well…" Cassie hummed teasingly as Punk smiled, listening to the bathroom door opening as he turned around, watching as Thea walked out, holding her dress up a little so she didn't trip up._

_Punk raised his eyebrows as he saw Thea standing in her dress, looking as sweet and pretty as ever. Her dress wasn't over the top, nor was her hair or make-up. She looked like a real life angel._

"_Thea, you look… you-"_

"_I know." Thea smiled cockily, feeling pretty good, but also extremely nervous, "We should probably get going." She said as Punk nodded, gulping a little as Thea just chuckled to herself discreetly. Her father seemed more nervous than her. _

_They left the room and headed to the room where the ceremony was taking place, waiting outside the closed doors. Thea had chosen Cassie and Jude as her bridesmaids as they were the closest girls and most important girls to her in her life. It was a no brainer._

"_Is everything going how you wanted it to?" Punk asked Thea, standing with her outside the door._

"_All I've done is gotten ready." Thea chuckled a little, starting to feel a little nervous as time was going by._

"_I hope today is really special." Punk nodded to her as Thea looked up at him and smiled._

"_Me too." She smiled, linking her arm through his, "I'm a little nervous now." She admitted as Punk smiled. It was ironic, because as she said that, he realised he wasn't so nervous. Because he saw his daughter ready for a life of happiness and excitement. A life she deserved._

"_You got this." Punk nodded to her as she nodded with him._

"_I got this." She nodded to herself as Punk smiled, "I'm glad you're here to walk me down the aisle." She turned to him as Punk nodded with a smile._

"_Yeah, me too." Punk smiled to her, "Just don't trip like your mom did at our wedding." He advised as Thea chuckled._

"_Only she could do that and still look badass." Thea shook her head as Punk nodded, "I thought I wasn't nervous but now I am." She admitted, feeling her palms starting to sweat._

"_You got no reason to be nervous. It's gonna be the best day of your life." Punk smiled as Thea nodded._

"_Yeah… yeah, of course it is." Thea nodded, listening as the soft, wedding esque music began to play, "Ok." Thea nodded to herself, watching as Jude and Cassie walked on out first._

"_You ready?" Punk asked her as she nodded._

"_Yeah." Thea nodded nervously, "Yeah, I think so." She turned to him as he nodded, leaning in and kissing her cheek as she smiled._

* * *

"Try another step." Punk nodded, holding Thea's hands as she stood beside her bed, helping her take some steps which the doctor had given her the go ahead to do. She was getting more of her strength back every day, but she still had a lot of work to do.

"Try being quiet." Thea mumbled, trying to concentrate as Punk scoffed.

"One more." Punk nodded as Thea winced a little. She underestimated just how painful her injury was, and how much strength she'd lost due to being stuck in bed for a while. It was difficult to do simple things like walk and move around in bed. But she was making progress. Slow progress. But progress.

"Ok." Thea nodded to herself, taking another brave step, "Ok, now I need to find my way back." She said, slowly turning around. She had only taken a few steps away from her bed, but in her reality, they were massive steps.

"You'll get back. You can do it." Punk nodded, still holding her hands to keep her balance, "You're doing good."

"Jude told me you apologised for being mean." Thea said, concentrating on her steps as Punk nodded.

"Yeah well I guess it was wrong of me to judge this guy… who she seems to really like." Punk nodded.

"She does." Thea agreed, "I met him last night. He came with her to see me. He's sweet." Thea nodded.

"I'm sure I'll meet him properly soon." Punk said, "I just want the best for you girls, you know that." He said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I told Jude that too. She knows you were coming from a place of concern." Thea said, taking another step with Punk's help, "But you gotta know when to keep your opinions to yourself." He said.

"What good are opinions if you don't express them?" Punk scoffed as Thea smiled.

"No good, I guess." Thea nodded, understanding what he meant, "I can't believe I'm spending my wedding anniversary in this dump." She shook her head.

"Hey, you can celebrate it properly when you're out of hospital." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, that's what we said. Dominic is gonna come up tonight, though. James is staying with his brother for the night." Thea said as Punk nodded.

"One more step." Punk said as Thea nodded, slowly working on her last step.

"How is mom?" Thea asked.

"She's good. She's pretty busy at work right now but she's good." Punk nodded.

"Have you heard from the police yet about anything?" Thea wondered, "About Rio?"

"Nothing." Punk said, "But I expect a visit from Hamilton soon enough." Punk anticipated as Thea nodded, "Rio heads into prison he's gonna have a lifetime of bother. All the people he's sold out over the years, all the people that he wronged, they're in there… most of them." He nodded, "And they're gonna get their revenge-"

"Good." Thea said simply, "I made it." She smiled happily, finally reaching the bed.

"You're doing more every day. I know it's frustrating but you're doing really good." He smiled as Thea nodded hopefully.

Actually getting up and moving was such a big step after being bed bound for the first couple of weeks.

"Ok, now the really difficult part. Getting back into bed." Thea groaned, "Maybe I'll just stand." She said as Punk chuckled a little.

"You can do it." Punk encouraged as she nodded to herself.


	30. Honest

**Honest**

* * *

"Hadn't you helped find me and my daughter, I would not be letting you into my house." AJ made clear, opening up the door and letting Hamilton into their house.

"I can understand that." Hamilton nodded, walking on into the house, "Is Phil in?"

"Kitchen." AJ nodded, leading the way down the hall and into the kitchen where Punk was sitting, just finished breakfast with his wife.

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked as he watched Hamilton walk into the kitchen.

"I just came to give you an update on Rio." Hamilton said, "I figured you would be interested." He said as AJ turned to Punk who nodded.

"Figured he was just being held in jail until his trial." Punk shrugged.

"Well yeah he is but he's confessed to everything. And I mean everything." Hamilton said.

"What do you mean everything?" AJ asked him.

"Well not just killing Marina or shooting Thea, but his whole plan to take you all out, things from his business, things from years ago that we couldn't solve." Hamilton said, "He's admitted to all of it."

"Well he was already getting done for murder and attempted murder so… what difference does it make?" AJ shook her head.

"Well it's just safe to say that he won't be getting out of prison. Period." Hamilton said as Punk nodded, looking up at Hamilton.

"Why'd you tell my kids about me and Dean? As kids… everything that happened with us." Punk said as AJ looked over at Hamilton, "You had no right to do that but Thea then told me it was like you were trying to defend us."

"Well, I just thought it would help them understand what kind of background you came from. Why all this stuff happened in the first place-"

"You think because I was dealt a bad hand as a kid, I wound up in prison and making a mess of my life?" Punk asked.

"I'm not saying anything. I just think it was a tough situation for you to get out of, to move on from." Hamilton said, "That goes for both of you." He turned to AJ, "I knew your family. Not the best people in the world."

"I know that." AJ said.

"I just thought Thea and Jude would make better sense of all this chaos if they knew how it ended up in your life in the first place." Hamilton said.

"Where was this approach when we were teenagers and you were spitting on my face?" Punk questioned.

"I didn't handle things well back then." Hamilton nodded, "I know that now. I thought if I was tough on you, harsh, maybe you'd get your act together… and you did. For a while anyway." Hamilton said, "Look, maybe now is the right time to say I'm sorry." He nodded, "I'm sorry that I picked on you both, patronised you, dehumanised you… because I know I did." He admitted as Punk and AJ looked at him, "Truth was, when I heard you were back in prison the second time around… I was sad. I was sad for you, for your family." He said, "Because I saw a guy who really cared about his family and cared about the changes he'd made to do better." He said as Punk nodded.

"I don't need your pity now, after all this time." Punk shook his head as Hamilton nodded, "Though, I appreciate the apology." He said as Hamilton looked up, "Believe me, I know it's tough admitting when you're wrong, and you fucked up." He said as Hamilton nodded, "But you helped find April and Cassie, so thank you for that."

"It's the least I could do." Hamilton nodded, "How is Thea doing? Any closer to getting out?"

"Her doctor reckons next week." AJ nodded, "She's been walking around more and feeling a lot better but still really weak." She said.

"Well she's on the right track." Hamilton nodded.

"She'll be home in time for Cassie's birthday next week, hopefully." Punk nodded to himself.

"Well I hope so." Hamilton said.

"Hey, you know Sean, right? He's a cop, works down at the station-"

"I do." Hamilton said, "Sean who is dating your daughter?" Hamilton asked.

"Mhm." Punk said briefly, "If you wanna do me anymore favours, you could be honest and tell me what he's really like?" He nodded.

"Phil, what did I tell you?" AJ scolded like she was talking to a child.

"What? It's a general wondering." Punk shrugged as AJ shook her head.

"Sean is a good guy." Hamilton nodded, "He's a hell of a good worker. Won some awards last year." He recalled, "You got nothing to worry about. He's probably the nicest guy in the station."

"You'd tell me that anyway." Punk scoffed as Hamilton chuckled.

"You'll like him." Hamilton assured him, "I'll see myself out. I just wanted to drop by and let you know about Rio."

"When do you reckon he'll be sentenced then?" AJ asked him.

"Couple of months probably." Hamilton said, "As quickly as possible." He said as AJ nodded.

"Well thank you for coming by." AJ nodded.

"That's ok." Hamilton said, turning around and leaving the house as AJ looked over at Punk.

"You didn't tell me that he told the girls about you and Dean as kids." AJ said, sitting back down across from Punk at the table, finishing her coffee.

"Sorry, I…I forgot to bring it up. I just remembered when I saw him there." Punk said, "It was Thea who spoke to me about it. Asked me why I never told them." He said, "It's like anything, I didn't wanna upset them or expose them to stuff that they really don't need to know."

"I know that." AJ nodded, "But they're big girls. They can handle it." She assured him as Punk nodded.

"I know but I'm always gonna wanna protect them from things." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Of course." AJ smiled, "That's why you're the best dad." She nodded.

"Well I'm glad you think so. Your opinion is all that matters." He smiled.

* * *

"When is this from?" Sean asked, standing in the kitchen in Jude's apartment, having opened up the fridge and noticed some pictures on it, one particularly of Thea, Jude and Punk, when they were little girls, before losing Punk to prison again.

"That is from a vacation… somewhere." Jude thought to herself, walking over and looking at the picture. She was on her dad's shoulders whilst Thea was standing in front flexing her invisible muscles.

"Is this before he went to prison?" Sean asked her as Jude nodded.

"Yeah." Jude said, looking at the picture with a fond smile.

"What age were you when he went to prison?" Sean asked, proceeding to get a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Uh… seven." Jude nodded to herself, "I don't really remember much of it." She admitted, walking over to the table in the kitchen as he joined her.

"What age were you when he got out?" Sean asked.

"Fifteen." Jude said, "I was the only one who kept visiting him. I felt like I was the only one who thought about him at one point." She shook her head, "I just… I never hated him, not the way Thea did." She shrugged, "Well… I know deep down she didn't hate him but… she wasn't his biggest fan for a while."

"Probably her age I guess." Sean said as Jude nodded.

"She was so sure she wasn't gonna talk to him when he got out, or have a relationship with him." Jude said as Sean nodded, "She went through a lot, I guess. When he was gone."

"You wanna talk about it?" Sean asked. They were still getting to know one another.

"She had a really bad drug addiction when she was seventeen, eighteen." Jude nodded, "And then it was alcohol too." She said, "I found her on her bedroom floor one time, she was just projectile vomiting, not moving." Jude said as Sean frowned, "She was… she was pretty bad."

"And she blamed your dad?" Sean figured.

"I don't know if she blamed him or if she just hated that he wasn't there to help her with it." Jude shrugged, "Maybe a bit of both." She said, "When my dad got out of prison… it took so long for them to even speak properly."

"Were you ever mad at him?" Sean asked.

"No." Jude said honestly, "No, because he… he's my dad. I visited him every week. I never felt like I really lost him. I think my mom and Thea did." She said, "I used to… I used to go into the visiting room and I'd take my homework with me. He'd help me with it." Jude smiled as she remembered.

"Sounds like you were the only who didn't give up on him." Sean said as Jude nodded.

"I couldn't. I had it in my head that he would get out one day and it'd be fine again." She said, "And he did." She shrugged as Sean smiled.

"You know it sucks for me that you have such a good relationship with him. No wonder the guy wants to kill me." He teased as Jude smiled.

"He doesn't want to kill you." Jude scoffed, "He'll warm up to you, trust me." Jude nodded as Sean smiled, "Look, I know you probably have a lot of opinions on my family. My parents aren't the cleanest when it comes to criminal records. Both my sisters are a little insane." She said.

"I don't have opinions. Just that I can see how much they all love you. And that's nice." Sean smiled, "You got a good family."

"I do." Jude smiled in agreement. She liked how honest she could be with him, how she didn't feel she had to hide anything or pretend she or her family were perfect. He was honest and he inspired her to be honest too.


	31. Sidekick

**Sidekick**

* * *

"Hey, how you feeling?" Punk asked, walking into the hospital room where Thea was sitting up watching TV.

"I'm ok." Thea nodded to him, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working?" She questioned.

"I'm on my way to work." Punk said, "Thought I'd stop by to make sure you've not escaped. Dominic called us last night and told us you were really upset." He said as Thea nodded.

"Well I thought I'd be getting out this week but apparently I'm not." Thea said, "I'm sick of being here. Sick of… spending my entire day in bed." She shook her head with frustration as Punk sat down on the chair by her bed.

"I know you are." Punk nodded, "But it's for your own safety and healthy. You have to be in a ton of pain. You're not fit to be out of bed right now. Not for any length of time."

"I can barely hold James." Thea said, "I'm his mom… and I'm… I'm not even there for him." She shook her head angrily.

"Sweetheart, that's not your fault." Punk assured her, "I'm sure James will cut you some slack." He smiled as Thea just sighed.

"I miss holding him and… and feeding him." Thea shook her head, "Or just sitting on the couch watching him on his little mat. You know the one you and mom got him." She said as Punk and nodded.

"I know you miss that." Punk nodded, "I know this sucks and you're miserable but you're gonna get out soon. Sooner than later at this point." He reminded her.

"I've lost so much time with him." Thea shook her head. It was all she could think about, "What if when I do get out… he doesn't even know me or want me?" She worried.

"Hey, that's not going to happen, Thea. You're his mom. And Dominic has been bringing him here every day to see you." Punk reminded her.

"I'm just sick of being here." Thea shook her head as Punk nodded.

"I know you are but it's gonna be over real soon." Punk said, watching as she rolled her head back on the pillow and sighed.

"I'd kill for a drink right now." Thea admitted as Punk sighed.

"Thea." Punk shook his head as she looked over at him.

"What? It's not like I'm gonna have one. I can barely walk to the toilet never mind leave this place and find a bar." Thea shook her head as Punk frowned. He hated seeing his daughter so frustrated and miserable.

"It's gonna get better. You'll get out of here soon and… and you'll get stronger every day. And me and your mom will be there to help you, your sisters, everyone." He nodded.

"I'm gonna miss Cassie's birthday." Thea shook her head.

"She's gonna come see you in the morning." Punk assured her as Thea nodded, "Hey and check this, Jude is bringing her new boyfriend to meet us." He said as Thea chuckled to herself.

"Be nice." Thea warned, "I like him. And I can tell Jude does too."

"I'll be nice." Punk laughed, "I just hope he's better than the other ones." He nodded.

"Well that wouldn't be hard." Thea shook her head, "He's nice." She assured her father, knowing he needed that reassurance, "You'll get along with him. He's a huge Hawks fan."

"He is?" Punk asked as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, huge." Thea nodded, "Just keep an open mind and give him a chance."

"I am. I will." Punk assured her as she smiled.

"Hey do you remember when you used to take us to gymnastics on a Saturday morning?" Thea smiled to herself, sitting up on the bed a little. Being in hospital for so long, and sometimes being on her own, gave her a chance to think about all kinds of random things.

"Yeah." Punk chuckled fondly, remembering it like it was yesterday, "Do you remember that?" Punk asked curiously.

"Yeah, of course." Thea smiled, "I was like eight and Jude was two or three. She could barely stand on her two feet never mind any sort gymnastics move." She chuckled to herself.

"Yeah, I remember mom asking you both what you wanted to do. You know, for a hobby or a sport to do at the weekend." Punk said, "You said gymnastics and Jude just did whatever you did." Punk smiled, "And then your mom's shifts got changed, she started working Saturday so… I got put on the gymnastics run." He chuckled a little as Thea smiled.

"You were like the only dad there and I loved it." Thea smiled to him as Punk nodded.

"That didn't bother me. I just liked seeing you both have fun." Punk said as Thea smiled.

"You were the best dad." Thea shook her head as Punk raised his eyebrows.

"Here I was thinking they took you off morphine." He teased.

"I'm serious." Thea nodded, "I mean I… I forgot about all the stuff we did together. All the fun we had. You going to prison sort of… took all those memories away from me" She shook her head as he nodded.

They'd come such a long way from when Punk just got out of prison. Their bond was back and stronger than ever, but it didn't change the fact it happened. Sitting in hospital, in her own thoughts, she was thinking about it all.

"You had to do what you had to do to… move on with your life." Punk nodded, "And I understand that."

"I made such a mess of my teenage years." Thea rolled her eyes, "I mean… a real mess." Thea said, "You don't even know the half of it."

"Maybe I don't need to know." Punk said, "But if you'd ever like to talk about it with me, I'm all ears." He nodded, "You're not the only one who got into some trouble when you were a teen. If there's anyone who understands, it's me and your mom."

"I wasn't as bad as you two." Thea teased with a smile as Punk nodded and chuckled, "I just… I think now that I'm a mom, I get it." She said, "I get wanting to protect your kids from things and keeping them from knowing the truth because it might hurt." She said as Punk nodded.

"Welcome to the parent club." Punk smiled as she nodded.

"Are you gonna take James to the Hawks games?" Thea smiled.

"Of course I am." Punk nodded, "If his mom let's me." He said as Thea smiled.

"Hey, I'll be coming too." She chuckled as Punk nodded. He could see she needed cheered up. She seemed down and low. Having the hope that she was getting out of hospital for it to be taken away again. Talking about nice things made a huge difference.

"He'll be like the son I never had." Punk said as Thea smiled.

"That's sweet." Thea nodded, "Yeah I think you drew the short straw with us. I would not want to have me, Jude and Cassie as kids." She chuckled to herself as Punk smiled.

"Oh, yeah?" Punk questioned, "I wouldn't change all three of you for the world. Three of the greatest people on this planet." He nodded as Thea smiled.

"Well… you have to say that." Thea scoffed as Punk chuckled, "Was it difficult? Being a young parent? Like… really young?" She asked.

"Well… yes and no." Punk said, "I think parenting is one of those things that's gonna be tough no matter what age you are." He said, "But you'd be amazed by the things that you taught me and your mom."

"The things I taught you?" Thea questioned.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "You were like our little sidekick." He said, "I mean… you were growing up and me and your mom will still growing up as kids too." He nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so." Thea realised, "You guys always did so good with making sure we had everything we needed." She nodded, "Even when you weren't here and it was just mom. She always put our needs before hers and I always wondered how she did it… and now I have my own kid I… I just get it, I get everything." She nodded.

Becoming a mom had really opened her eyes up to a whole new perspective on things. She saw things differently, she saw her parents previous actions in a different light, a more understanding and logical light.

"It's a whole new world, right?" Punk said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, no kidding." Thea said, "I just wanna be home. I miss James and Dominic."

"I know." Punk sighed, "Hey, trust me, you're gonna be out of here real soon." He nodded, "You're getting stronger every day, I can see it."

"I can still barely walk." Thea shook her head. For a while she was in denial at just how badly she was hurt. Not being able to do such basic things like walk and move around with ease was incredibly frustrating. Especially for someone who was constantly on the go like her.

"You'll build up your strength." Punk nodded, "And you'll get home soon" He said, "The toughest part is behind you. You made it through that." He said, "It's only upwards from here."

"You're sweet, giving me motivational crap." She nodded as Punk chuckled.

"Part of the dad gig I think." Punk said as Thea nodded.

"I'm real sad I can't come celebrate Cassie's birthday." Thea frowned, "I don't think I've ever missed her birthday."

"She's gonna come see you in the morning. You'll still see her." Punk assured her, "And we can do something fun when you get out of here and you're back to good health." He said as Thea nodded, watching as one of the nurses came into the room.

"Hi Thea, we got your breakfast out here you hungry?" She asked Thea.

"For some hospital food? Always." Thea nodded sarcastically as the nurse walked back out of the room.

"You really are the worst patient." Punk said as Thea rolled her eyes. She was still that little sidekick he remembered in his eyes.

**A/N: Hey, sorry for the slowish updates, I've had exams and the usual life stresses that come up at this time of year. I promsie the story will be picking up soon so stay tuned! Thanks to those who review and support!**


	32. Thanksgiving

**Thanksgiving**

* * *

"_She's not came home." AJ whispered, talking to Dean in the hallway, "She left last night, told me she was going out with some friends and that she might sleepover at their house. I asked her who and where, got all the details and she gave me them." AJ nodded frantically, "I can't get a hold of her. I've been to her friend's house. I've called Jackson, no reply." AJ threw her hands up in the air._

"_Ok ok… calm down." Dean nodded, "You go into the kitchen and focus on dinner. I'll go look for her. She'll be somewhere-"_

"_I'm worried about her." AJ shook her head as Dean nodded._

"_Of course you are." Dean said, "But she'll be somewhere around here. I'll find her, I promise." Dean assured her as AJ nodded, "Go back into the kitchen, just keep your cool for a little while longer-"_

"_Text me as soon as you find her." AJ demanded as Dean nodded._

"_I will. I will, just take a deep breath." Dean nodded to her, kissing her head as AJ sighed, watching as he left the house._

_It wasn't the first time her eldest daughter had sent her into a panic. As of late, she felt like she barely saw her. She was trying to put it down to her teenage years, but deep down she knew something was wrong. Thea had just turned seventeen and had never been more distant from everyone. _

_AJ composed herself as best she could and returned to the kitchen where they were supposed to be having thanksgiving dinner, but had put a pause to it as they were missing Thea. _

"_Mommy, I wanna eat." Four year old Cassie folded her arms, looking at all the delicious food sitting on the table, her little tummy rumbling._

"_Yeah, can't we just start eating?" Eleven year old Jude asked, resting her head on her hand tiredly. It was way past the time they normally ate thanksgiving dinner. _

"_Yeah, I wanna eat." Ten year old Chrissy agreed, sitting next to Renee at the table who was glancing at AJ, not sure what to do._

"_O-Ok." AJ nodded as Renee nodded with approval, "Ok, let's just eat." AJ agreed tiredly, "It'd be a waste to let it go cold." She said._

"_Turkey time!" Cassie exclaimed happily, kneeling up on her seat and reaching over for some food as AJ smiled sweetly._

"_Baby, you look so pretty today." AJ smiled. Cassie was in a yellow dress with a sunflower hairband in her dark hair._

"_Do I not look pretty?" Jude tested as AJ smiled._

"_Of course you do. Everyone looks great. This food looks great." AJ smiled, trying to keep a positive face on, to attempt to hide the worry and fear she had going on inside her head._

"_Even me? I look great?" Sam asked, sitting at the top of the table, taking out a cigarette._

"_Back door." AJ instructed as Sam rolled her eyes, standing up and walking over to the back door to have a cigarette._

"_Mommy, where is Thea?" Cassie asked casually, helping herself to some yams._

"_Uncle Dean has gone to get her." Renee smiled positively, to help AJ out._

"_Well maybe we should wait for them." Cassie frowned._

"_I don't think they'll mind." Renee assured her, "You guys tuck in." She encouraged as Cassie nodded, not needing to be convinced twice. Meanwhile Renee looked over at AJ, who she could see was struggling to sit still, constantly looking at her phone and the doorway in hopes Dean would find Thea._

* * *

_Meanwhile Dean was looking around town. It was pretty busy with traffic due to Thanksgiving, so he parked his car and walked around the local spots on foot. He once was a teenager too, and knew all the places that Thea could possibly be._

_He fell short at most of them, until he finally found a group of people down at the docks, of all places._

_He shook his head angrily, climbing down the ladder and heading to the boardwalk. He was a protective uncle. Thea had been around since he was eighteen. She was almost like a little sister in some ways, rather than a niece. He was fiercely protective of her and the girls, even more so now that Punk was in prison._

"_Thea!" Dean yelled angrily, walking down the boardwalk as he saw Thea turn around, throwing a cigarette in the river and standing up._

"_What? I'm fine." Seventeen year old Thea said immediately, buzzed. _

"_You're fine?" Dean questioned as Thea nodded, "What the hell you smoking?" He questioned._

"_What? Nothing?" Thea scoffed._

"_You lie as good as your highlights are." He nodded as Thea scoffed._

"_Hey." Thea said, running her hands through her hair which had some blonde highlights through its naturally black strands._

"_It's Thanksgiving, Thea." Dean reminded her, "We're all waiting on you to have dinner. Your mom is worried sick that she can't get a hold of you-"_

"_I told her I'd be with friends." Thea shrugged._

"_No, not today. You told her you'd be home in the morning. Instead you're out here acting like you got nothing better to do, with… with no regard to any of your family." Dean said. If he had to be the tough mean one, he would be._

"_I'm just having fun with my friends. Lighten up." Thea chuckled as Dean shook his head._

_He pushed past her, walking over to the few kids sitting over on the boardwalk, "Excuse me." Dean said politely, one by one taking all of the alcohol from them as they began to kick up a fuss._

_He then threw it all in the river as the kids began to kick up a fuss at him, "What the hell are you doing?" One boy stood up, squaring up to Dean who chuckled._

"_You put your hands on me and I'll throw you in there too." Dean warned as the kid looked at him worriedly, "I suggest you all go home, spend time with your family."_

"_I'm not going home. What is your problem?" Thea shook her head, "I'm fine. Ok? You see me. I'm fine. Go tell my mom so she can chill out-" Thea kept talking as Dean walked by her, taking her arm and walking her down the boardwalk, "Uncle Dean!" Thea exclaimed angrily._

"_Just shut up." Dean shook his head._

"_I am not a little girl!" Thea exclaimed, pushing Dean away from her as he let go of her and looked across._

"_This isn't you, Thea. What the hell are you doing?" Dean shook his head with confusion._

"_I'm just… I'm having some fun with my friends. I'm not allowed to do that?" Thea asked._

"_You're fucking stoned out your face. You can barely walk. Look, I get it, you're at that age, you're growing up, but… but this is ridiculous. You're gonna spiral towards something you won't come back from-"_

"_Oh, like you've never gotten high before-"_

"_Don't pull that card with me." Dean shook his head, "You're coming home now."_

"_No, I'm staying out-"_

"_What the hell would your dad think right now? If he knew this was how you were acting?" Dean questioned._

"_Fuck my dad." Thea laughed a little, "What the hell has he got to do with anything anymore?" Thea shrugged as Dean looked at her, "I don't care what he thinks."_

"_Well you're lucky it's me down here and not him." Dean reminded her, "You're coming home. Now." Dean nodded. He could understand why she was seeking out highs with her friends. It'd been a rough couple of years. But there was a pattern starting, and it was becoming a frequent problem._

"_I'm not going." Thea said cockily as Dean watched her._

_He walked over to her, lifting her up and putting her over his shoulder._

"_Yes you are." Dean said, walking off with her._

"_Dean!" Thea yelled, trying to get out of his grips, banging her fists off his back, "Let me go!" She screamed as Dean walked away with her._

* * *

"_I hate you!" Thea stumbled into her house as Dean followed._

"_Yeah yeah." Dean shook his head, unbothered by all the nasty things she was saying._

_As soon as AJ heard the door opening she got up right away, running down the hallway and sighing with relief as she saw Thea._

"_Oh my God." AJ took a deep breath, wrapping her arms around Thea tightly who didn't hug her bag, standing still, still buzzed and drunk._

"_Yeah, ok. I'm fine." Thea shook her head as AJ pulled back from the hug, taking a better look at her and realising she was in fact high._

"_What the hell are you playing at?" AJ spat angrily, "It's Thanksgiving."_

"_And?" Thea questioned._

"_And?" AJ shook her head, "Where the hell were you? Why didn't you answer your phone and… why are you high at three in the afternoon-"_

"_God, so many fucking questions." Thea sat down on the stairs._

"_Don't speak to your mom like that." Dean warned._

"_You celebrate thanksgiving with your family." AJ spat, folding her arms as she watched Thea lean her head against the wall, "Look at the state of you."_

"_I look fine." Thea tested._

"_You're out of your face. You stink of booze and… smoke." AJ waved her hand as Thea rolled her eyes, "Where the hell were you? Was Jackson with you?"_

"_He was last night. Why? Do I smell of him too?" Thea batted her eyes at her mom._

"_Ok, I no longer need to be a part of this conversation." Dean said._

"_I hate you by the way." Thea told Dean._

"_Kiss my ass, kid." Dean said, walking away down the hallway and into the kitchen as Thea chuckled to herself, leaning back against the wall, beginning to fall asleep as AJ watched her. It was very real and very hard to watch Thea descend into a very lonely and scary path._

"_Thea, you need to go to bed. We'll talk about this in the morning when you're… sober." AJ shook her head._

"_I am sober." Thea spat as AJ shook her head._

"_Bed. Now." AJ spat._

"_Thea! Thea! You're home!" Cassie ran out of the kitchen and into the hallway, excited to see her biggest sister, the sister she wanted to be just like. _

"_Oh, hi." Thea smiled, "Aren't you a little sunshine." She said._

"_Cass, go back and have your dinner, baby." AJ nodded._

"_But I have to give Thea a thanksgiving hug." Cassie said, walking over and cuddling Thea tightly as Thea frowned, hugging her four year old sister back tightly. Something about the innocence of her felt more sweet._

"_Thank you." Thea smiled with hazy, drugged eyes._

"_You smell weird." Cassie pulled back from the hug before running away to the kitchen._

"_Bed." AJ told Thea._

"_Fine, I'm going." Thea said, standing up, attempting to walk up the stairs, almost tripping up as she done so._

"_Be careful." AJ said worriedly, "I'm behind you." She said, helping her daughter up the stairs one at a time._

_She'd had better Thanksgivings. They all had. _


	33. Welcome

**Welcome**

* * *

"I've been so nervous about being in the same space as your dad, I've forgotten about the other members of your family." Sean admitted, getting out of the car with Jude. It was mid-afternoon and they were headed to see Cassie for her birthday at the house.

Whenever there was a birthday in the family AJ and Punk would have everyone at the house. It was just as big a celebration as Christmas and Thanksgiving. Jude remembered a ton of fun birthdays when she was growing up. Her parents always done their best to make it special and fun for them. Of course she remembered a lot of sad birthdays too.

"The rest of my family are a piece of cake compared to my dad." Jude assured him.

"Is your mom the type of mom who will expect me to flirt with her and feed her compliments?" Sean wondered.

"Well if you're trying to win over my dad, I wouldn't go flirting with my mom." Jude suggested as Sean chuckled to himself and nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose you got a point there." Sean said, "Is there anything I need to know before we go in here? Anything I should or shouldn't talk about?"

"No, my family don't shy away from things. You talk about whatever you like." Jude assured him, "Just relax. You'll be fine." She rubbed his arm, finding it sweet that he was so nervous to properly meet her family.

"Aren't you nervous about this?" Sean wondered.

"Yeah, I'm super nervous." Jude nodded.

"Is that why you were so quiet in the car? Is that how you go when you're nervous?" Sean asked curiously. Of course they were still getting to know one another.

"Yeah. My mom and dad always say that me and Thea are complete opposites. When I'm nervous I just freeze, I don't say anything and when Thea is nervous she just rambles and rambles." Jude said as Sean nodded, walking with her towards the front door.

"It's a bummer she couldn't get in time for this." Sean said.

"I know. I think she was upset." Jude said, "But Cass was going to see her in the morning so at least she could see her." She said as Sean nodded, watching as Jude opened up the door.

"You don't knock?" Sean wondered.

"No." Jude scoffed, "Hey!" Jude called as they walked in the door.

It was the first time Sean was meeting all of the family, the first time he was seeing where Jude grew up and what her family home was like. He didn't have a big family, so a lot of this was super nerve wracking for him.

"Hi, honey." Sam walked out from the living room, a glass of wine in her hand of course.

"Hey, Sam." Jude said, taking her coat off, "Uh… this is Sean. Sean this is Sam." Jude explained as Sean shook her hand.

"I'm the grandmother." Sam explained as Sean raised his eyebrows, "I forbid any of them from calling me that, though." Sam scoffed as Jude rolled her eyes.

"Well it's… it's nice to meet you." Sean nodded politely.

"I think your parents are in the kitchen." Sam said, walking back through to the living room.

"How come she's so young?" Sean whispered to Jude once Sam disappeared.

"She had my dad and uncle when she was super young. Like sixteen." Jude said as Sean nodded, "She's harmless but a little crazy." She said, "My dad doesn't really talk to her, though."

"Why not?" Sean asked, sitting his jacket over by the stairs.

"It's a long story with… a lot of information." Jude said as Sean nodded, following her towards the kitchen where AJ and Punk were.

"April I told you I put them on at one thirty. I said hey Ape, I'm gonna go shower I put those pizza rolls in the oven, give them a check in fifteen minutes." Punk said, "And you said ok."

"I did not say ok. When did you hear me say ok?" AJ put her hands on her hips, "I didn't even hear you say that."

"Exactly, I told you, you're going deaf." Punk waved his hand.

"Or maybe you're just hearing things. I did not say ok." AJ said, "Now they're burnt and ruined. Good job, Phil."

"How is this my fault?" Punk questioned, looking at the now charcoal pizza rolls which were burnt to a crisp due to some miscommunication.

"Well if you put them on you should have been keeping an eye on them." AJ said, "We're gonna have to go get more." AJ shrugged.

"No, we'll make do with what we have." Punk shook his head.

Meanwhile Jude stood at the kitchen doorway with Sean, going unnoticed by her bickering parents. She cleared her throat to make some noise as Punk and AJ turned around at the same time, noticing both Jude and Sean.

"Oh, hi." AJ smiled, tossing the kitchen towel over on the table, looking over at Sean and smiling. It was the first time she'd met him, unlike Punk, and obviously she wanted to make a good first impression as much as Sean did.

"Hey, mom." Jude smiled as AJ gave her a sweet hug, "This is Sean." She introduced.

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you." AJ smiled sweetly, giving Sean a hug. Any guy who was making her daughter happy and who was treating her with respect was a good guy in her eyes.

"And you too." Sean smiled, feeling more at ease as he saw how friendly AJ was.

"And you've met my lovely dad." Jude said, looking over at Punk who walked over.

"Yeah, maybe we can get off to a better start this time." Sean hoped as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, of course we can." Punk said sincerely, shaking Sean's hand politely as Sean nodded, appreciating it.

"Where is the birthday girl?" Jude asked.

"She was in the living room with everyone else I'm sure." AJ said, "We went to the hospital this morning to see Thea."

"How is she?" Jude asked.

"Frustrated." Punk said, "Don't blame her, though."

"Surely she'll get out by next week." Jude said as AJ and Punk nodded.

"It's looking that way, but they'll need to assess her and see how she is." AJ said, "You want a drink?" She asked them, "We got everything. Pop. Water. Beer. Wine. Spirits. Help yourself." AJ waved her hand, "God knows Dean and Sam have."

"Dean is your brother?" Sean pointed to AJ for correction.

"Mine." Punk said, "Little. By like a year." He said.

"Right." Sean said whilst Jude helped herself to the wine, picking up a beer for Sean.

"You have any siblings, Sean?" AJ asked whilst fixing some of the food in the oven.

"I do. I have a little brother too actually. He's two years younger." Sean said.

"You close?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, well… a little less since I moved out and stuff." Sean said as AJ nodded.

"That's just life, right?" AJ said casually, "Do they look cooked?" She asked Punk who nodded.

"Yeah, I'd say so." Punk nodded to her.

Sean was taken back by how chilled out AJ and Punk were. With all the stories he'd heard from Jude, he was pleasantly shocked at how at ease they made him feel already.

"Here." Jude passed him a beer, "I'm gonna go see Cassie." She announced, escaping the kitchen quickly and deliberately as Sean scoffed.

"Those pizza rolls look nice." Sean teased, looking over at the burnt food.

"Right?" AJ scoffed, "His fault." She pointed to Punk.

"Excuse me? I don't think so." Punk detested as Sean smiled. Although they were bickering, it was a different kind of bickering, it was a 'we've loved each other for an extremely long time' type of bickering, and he thought it was sweet.

"So you guys do birthday's pretty big here, huh?" Sean nodded. He noticed all the drink options, the chips and dip on the table, the cakes and donuts in the corner, as well as the food they were trying to put in the oven.

"Yeah we always have." Punk nodded.

"It's all Phil. Not me." AJ said.

"I think birthdays are important." Punk shrugged as Sean nodded.

"Yeah, Jude was telling me about all the parties she had as a kid. How much fun she had." Sean said as AJ smiled.

"Yeah, Phil was always in charge of those things." AJ gave credit as Punk shrugged modestly, "So Jude told me you were a cop." She said, clearing up some of the kitchen table, "Are you in any particular field?" She asked him curiously.

"No, not really. Well I'm an emergency response officer but… that's like a baseline." Sean shrugged.

"How long you been doing it?" Punk asked curiously. He promised himself he would do better for Jude. That he wouldn't be that fiercely protective father, and simply trust his daughter's judgement. He could tell Sean was a nice guy, and that made him feel even guiltier for how they first got off. He was hoping to redeem himself.

"Well this was my first official year. I was rookie for the past few years so you don't get as much trust put in you." Sean said, "It's been tough but… I love it." Sean said as AJ smiled.

"It always helps when you love your job." AJ smiled.

"Yeah. Jude told me you write for a magazine?" Sean said in question.

"Yeah, well… I don't write as much as I used to. I'm more office based now-"

"She's too modest to tell you that she directs half of the company." Punk nudged AJ who smiled.

"No, I just wait on you telling people." AJ smiled.

"That's super cool." Sean nodded as AJ smiled, "So who does Jude get her creative talent from? She's got a gift." Sean said as they both agreed.

"None of us." Punk chuckled to himself, "She got that on her own." He said proudly.

"She's super talented." Sean said.

"We think so too." AJ smiled proudly as Sean nodded.

"I better go say happy birthday to Cassie and… meet everyone else." Sean nodded to them both.

"Ok, honey. Just help yourself to any drink or food." AJ assured him as Sean nodded, leaving the kitchen as AJ turned to Punk, "Oh, I really like him." She said, "He's sweet."

"You've spoken to him for five minutes." Punk chuckled.

"I know but he seems so nice." AJ said, "Come on. Admit it. He's sweet." She nudged him as Punk scoffed.

"He is… polite." Punk agreed briefly as AJ smirked.

"You're gonna like him." AJ nodded to herself cockily.

"You know what I don't like? Burnt pizza rolls." He changed the subject quickly, taking one of the burnt pizza rolls, nudging her as she smiled.

"I did hear you. I just forgot to check on them." AJ confessed with a smile as Punk chuckled.

"I knew it." Punk said, "You're a nightmare." He said fondly, wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her cheek as she scratched under his stubbly chin sweetly.

* * *

"I did not expect this." Jude admitted later that night, standing at the living room door way with her mother as she saw Sean sitting talking with her father, Dean and Dominic as though he'd known them for years, getting into heated but good conversation about the Cubs and the Hawks, about his job too and other different things. She had hoped for some civil behaviour, but this was beyond her expectations. The best part of it was, it looked natural, and she could see Sean had loosened up and was enjoying himself too.

"I knew they'd get along." AJ scoffed, wandering away into the kitchen as Jude followed. Renee was also in the living room with Cassie and her own daughters, as well as Sam.

"I hoped they would but I just… I wasn't expecting it." Jude admitted.

"He's really nice, sweetie. I like him." AJ smiled, "I mean, he even washed up his plate." She said, "Come on." She said, thrilled as Jude chuckled.

"Well I'm glad you guys like him, because I really like him." Jude said, "I mean… I know it's cliché but he's just… he's different. I've never met anyone like him." She said as AJ smiled.

"You know your dad was just trying to protect you. It…It really wasn't anything to do with Sean himself." AJ said, "That's just the way he is with you girls." AJ shrugged.

"Yeah, I know." Jude said, "I'm just glad they're getting along now." She smiled. It was definitely a weight lifted from her shoulders that Sean was fitting in well with her family, and that he was even winning her father over so well.

"Yeah, me too." AJ smiled.

"I just wish Thea could have been here. It's weird not having her around." Jude shook her head.

"I know, I'm constantly thinking about her. I know she hates hospitals." AJ shook her head, "And she said to your dad the other day she'd kill for a drink right now which… I mean, it worries me."

"She's stronger than that." Jude nodded confidently as AJ nodded.

"I know. I know she is." AJ nodded, "She'll be home soon. Next week at the latest."

"Yeah, and we should throw her a welcome home party." Jude said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, so I can burn some more pizza rolls." AJ said as Jude smiled, taking a good natured sigh that she made it through the night, and her new boyfriend had been very much welcomed into the family, even by her protective dad.


	34. Green Light

**Green Light**

* * *

"Thea… how are you feeling this morning?" Kate, one of Thea's doctors came into Thea's room where Dominic was sitting chatting to her. James was having a fun day out with Punk and AJ to let Dominic have a break.

"I'm feeling just as good as I have the past few days." Thea said sarcastically, "I slept better last night actually." She admitted as Kate nodded with a smile.

"Well… how would you feel about going home tomorrow?" Kate smiled as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"Really?" Thea smiled happily.

"Yeah." Kate nodded, "You've been on your feet a lot better. We're gonna give you some medication to take away with you, to help with the pain. And this doesn't mean you can dance around the house like nothing has happened. As much rest as possible. Still take little steps and let your husband help you."

"She doesn't let anyone help her." Dominic assured the doctor.

"I do too." Thea objected, "I just think it's better if we do things for ourselves sometimes." Thea shrugged as Kate smiled.

"Of course it is, but this is different. You don't wanna tear your stitches, believe me." Kate said.

"I know, I'm a doctor." Thea reminded her as Kate nodded, "I'll be fine. I bet my home comforts will heal me up quicker." She said as Kate smiled, "And I get to see James more." She smiled happily to Dominic who nodded with a smile, equally as happy and relieved that Thea was getting to officially come home after a long struggle in hospital.

"I'll come see you in the morning just to go over some things with you. As of now I hope you enjoy your last night in here." Kate teased as Thea chuckled a little. There was no hiding she'd been a difficult patient. She was stubborn and impatient, but that didn't mean she didn't appreciate all the help and care she'd gotten over the past weeks.

"Thank you." Thea nodded as Kate smiled, leaving the room as Thea turned to Dominic and smiled, "I finally get to come home." She said with a cute smile as Dominic chuckled, leaning over and giving her a kiss.

"How excited are you?" Dominic chuckled, pulling back, knowing how excited she had to have been to finally get the green light to come home.

"You have no idea." Thea sighed, "I just wanna be in my own bed and… I wanna see James more. Just get back to normal life instead of being stuck in here." She said as Dominic nodded.

"You heard what she said, though." Dominic said.

"I know. No dancing." Thea teased as Dominic chuckled.

"Thea." He said as Thea smiled, "You gotta take it easy."

"I know. Hey, I have no option. My body can only do so much. I'm gonna be useless for a little while longer." She said.

"Yeah so you're gonna let me run around after you." Dominic said as Thea nodded and smiled.

"If you insist." Thea smiled, "How was Cassie's birthday?" She asked him, "Did she like her gift we got her?"

"Yeah, she did. She really liked it." Dominic said, "It was good. I didn't stay too long. I came by, had some food and then went home to get James down for the night." He said as Thea nodded, "I met Sean, though. He's super nice."

"He is." Thea agreed, "How'd my dad do with him?" She asked worriedly, "Did he behave?"

"Yeah, he did. They got on like a house on fire." Dominic said, "In fact, I fear I'm gonna lose my favourite son-in-law spot." He said as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"They got on that well?" Thea questioned.

"Yeah. To be fair, we all got on well with him. He's a nice guy. I'm happy for Jude. She normally doesn't pick the best men."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Thea shook her head, "Well I'm glad it went well." Thea nodded positively, "I bet it puts Jude's mind at ease."

"Yeah, probably." Dominic said, "Your mom and dad will be stoked you're getting out. They've been real down about you being in here."

"Yeah they probably see how miserable I am every time they come visit me." Thea said, "It's not like I hide it." She shrugged as Dominic nodded, "Is there… is there any word about Rio? What's going on with him?" She asked, having been hesitant to ask about it.

"As far as we know he's in jail and he pleaded guilty to all of it." Dominic said as Thea shook her head.

"Why would he even do that?" She shook her head with confusion.

"God knows." Dominic shook his head, "But… it makes it an easier process for prosecution I guess." He said, "He'll do life in prison. No doubt about it." Dominic nodded.

"Well at least he can bond with his son in there." Thea spat, rolling her head back on the pillow as Dominic nodded.

"You wanna talk about it?" Dominic asked.

"About what?" Thea looked at him.

"Well… about what happened. I know we've not really spoken much about it, I don't know if it's because you don't wanna talk about it-"

"What's there to talk about? The guy is lunatic. Both of them are." Thea said.

"Yeah, a lunatic who shot you, Thea." Dominic said.

"I guess really haven't thought that much about it." Thea said, "I don't think anyone is. I mean… the guy was supposed to be dead. My parents have… they have a ton of background connecting to him. I think they're still in shock." She shook her head as Dominic nodded.

"Yeah they haven't talked to me about it at all." Dominic said, "What's the deal with them and Rio? I mean I know little bits here and there from what you told me but… not the full story." He said.

"It goes back to when they were kids. He gave my dad jobs to do all the time, for money." Thea said, "He would bail them out of jail. Give them money to rent motels and get them off the street." Thea said, "But then I guess my mom and dad realised he was just putting them in danger." She said, "My dad wound up in prison and my mom had me. I'm sure there's stuff they haven't told me." Thea said.

"How'd he wound up dead? Or… fake dead, I guess?" Dominic asked.

"When I was about three, my mom and dad got invited to his wedding. They didn't buy the invitation and figured it was maybe a set up or something. They went anyway because they're stupid, I guess." Thea rolled her eyes.

"Or stubborn like you." Dominic insisted.

"They went anyway and… he was shot. Well fake shot. God knows what happened after that." Thea rolled her eyes, "It's so mixed up."

"Yeah, no kidding." Dominic shook his head, "I hate that you got caught up in this." He said, "I'd trade places with you if I could." He sighed as Thea smiled.

"No, I'd rather have you running after me than have to run after you." Thea teased as Dominic smiled. She was always the joker. It was why he loved her so much.

"I've missed this sarcasm around the house." He shook his head as Thea smiled.

"Well you're gonna get it back tomorrow." She said happily as he nodded.

* * *

"Dominic just text saying Thea is getting out tomorrow." AJ raised her eyebrows, sitting in a café with their grandson in his stroller, having taken him out for the day, pit stopping for a coffee on the way back.

"Seriously?" Punk asked with hope.

"Yeah, said the doctor is happy with her being discharged." AJ smiled, "I'm so glad, she was really struggling in there. She wanted to get home." AJ shook her head, putting her phone away.

"She's gotta take it easy, though. You know what Thea is like. Stubborn. Wants to do everything by herself." Punk said, "She's gotta accept the help."

"She will. She's still in too much pain not to. I think she's just glad to be back home. It was really annoying her that she wasn't getting to see this little guy." Punk said, looking in the stroller at James who was sleeping peacefully.

"Yeah, I know." AJ nodded, "She'll be so relieved." AJ smiled. It was a weight lifted off their shoulders. They were concerned about their daughter's mental health having been stuck in hospital for so long. They knew it had to be relief for her to finally get the green light to go home.

"We can check in on her every day, to help Dominic too." Punk said, "I'm sure Jude and Cassie will wanna help out too-"

"Of course." AJ said, "But you know Thea, she'll think we're drawing attention to the fact she's incapable of certain things right now."

"Well she'll need to put on her big girl pants and accept it." Punk nodded.

"I'm just worried about her having all this time off from work and from normality." AJ shook her head.

"What are you worried about?" Punk asked, knowing there was something on her mind.

"Just in general." AJ waved her hand.

"April. Come on. What is bothering you?" Punk asked her.

"Well I'm just worried that she… she starts drinking again… or worse." AJ shook her head as Punk sighed, "Look, I know she's stronger than that, and she's done so well these past few years but… the other day she said she'd kill for a drink. I'm just worried that all the pain she's going through and everything that's happened these past few weeks might… send her down the wrong path again." AJ sighed to herself.

"I know. I'm worried about her too." Punk agreed, "But you gotta have faith in her. She's got her family and friends around her to help." He said as AJ nodded.

"Of course I know that. It's not that I don't trust her." AJ assured him, "I know she's tough as hell." She said, "When I heard her say that I just… I got a bad feeling in my stomach." She shook her head.

"I know. She's gonna be fine." Punk promised, trying to ease her mind, "We're all gonna be there for her. She's gonna be back to good health in no time." He said as AJ nodded with a smile.


	35. A Problem

**A Problem**

* * *

"_Jude you're cheating!" Four year old Cassie groaned, sitting on the couch in their living room, playing with the new X-Box which they'd gotten for Christmas to share._

"_No, I'm not." Jude defended, "I'm just better than you." She grinned cheekily as Cassie sighed with stress. She really hated to lose to anyone. She was the most competitive out of all three of them._

"_You're not better. You're cheating." She said childishly, standing up and walking over to the TV to get closer._

"_How can I cheat on a video game?" Jude chuckled, "And standing close to the TV won't help you any more." She shook her head. She enjoyed teasing her little sister for sure, but was also thankful for Cassie's company as of late. _

"_It might." Cassie disagreed._

_It was the Christmas holidays, which meant they were on vacation from school. AJ had to work, however, and was leaving Thea in charge of babysitting, although trusting her at this time was extremely difficult._

"_Do you want a snack?" Jude asked Cassie._

"_No, stop trying to distract me, Jude. It won't work." Cassie said, purely focused on the video game as Jude just chuckled, "Just you wait until mommy gets home from work and beats you like she did last night." Cassie smiled._

"_You realise she plays this when we all go to bed, right?" Jude said._

"_She does?" Cassie chuckled. Her mommy was the coolest, in her eyes._

"_Of course she does." Jude said, having caught AJ multiple times playing the game._

"_Why doesn't Thea want to play it?" Cassie frowned._

"_I don't know." Jude shrugged, watching as Thea came into the living room, or more so stumbled in, after making her way downstairs._

"_Hey." Thea tried to get their attention, "Losers." She clapped as Jude looked over, pausing their game._

"_Hey, don't pause, there's no time!" Cassie said eccentrically._

"_Where is mom?" Thea asked, placing her hand on the arm of the couch to balance herself. Although Jude wasn't old enough to fully understand what was going on with Thea, she could tell that her sister was drunk right now, or high._

"_Why do you look like that?" Cassie asked, a little more forward due to her innocent age._

"_Look like what?" Thea looked over._

"_Yellow." Cassie said, walking over to Jude for comfort._

"_What do you mean yellow?" Thea chuckled._

"_You look sick." Jude said, referring to Thea's pasty, almost yellow skin colour. She looked severely ill._

"_I'm not sick." Thea said, keeping her hand on the couch to steady herself, "Where is mom?"_

"_She's at work, obviously." Jude said, "You're babysitting us… remember?" Jude nodded._

"_Right… right." Thea nodded, agitatedly brushing her hand over her hair, "Uh… I'm uh… I'm gonna pop out for a little bit." She explained as Jude looked at her._

"_You're not supposed to leave us." Jude said, "Mom will be mad."_

"_I know but… I'll be back in time and you guys will be fine." Thea shook her head, "I just gotta go out." She nodded, stumbling out of the living room and leaving the house, foolishly leaving her little sisters on their own, of course not in the right frame of mind to realise what she was doing, to busy letting other things consume her._

"_I thought Thea wasn't supposed to leave us here alone." Cassie frowned, standing in front of Jude at the couch._

"_She's not." Jude nodded, knowing that much, and knowing her sister was about to be in big trouble, which was happening a lot these past few months._

* * *

"_What the hell were you thinking, Thea?" AJ spat, later that night standing in the kitchen with Thea who was still drunk, and had been collected yet again by her Uncle and brought home. Jude had called AJ the second Thea had left the house, "Your sisters are four and eleven. They shouldn't be on their own."_

"_I was… I was just out for a little bit-"_

"_Why are you doing this? Are you friends with people who are making you act this way?" AJ questioned._

"_Act what way?" Thea laughed, "I'm just having fun. What's so… what's so hard to understand about that?"_

"_You're only eighteen years old." AJ shook her head, "And you're wasted every other day of the week. I feel like I barely even see you anymore."_

"_You're so dramatic all the damn time." Thea spat frustratedly, putting her hands in her head._

"_No. No, I'm really not. You're just taking one step too far with this behaviour. I gave you the benefit of the doubt at first. I've been a teenager before, ok? I get it." AJ said, "But this is just too much. It's too far." She shook her head, "I'm sick of saying the same things to you-"_

"_And I'm sick of hearing it!" Thea yelled as AJ looked across at her. It was entering the worrying stages of Thea's behaviour and the way she was acting. Her drinking was excessive, not to mention her attitude was getting worse. She didn't even want to think about it, but she was terrified that Thea wasn't just consuming alcohol._

"_Is that how you wanna act? How you wanna spend your teenage years? Making mistakes?" AJ questioned._

"_Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?" Thea said coldly._

"_Oh, Thea… just go to bed." AJ shook her head, "I don't even want to talk to you right now. Not like this."_

"_What? You don't wanna talk about it? Why? Why not? You're the one who always tells me we should talk. So let's talk." Thea said._

"_I don't mean like this." AJ shook her head, "You can't keep behaving this way. You're gonna end up on the wrong path. And your sisters are starting to notice more. Jude asked me the other day what was wrong with you… why I was constantly yelling at you-"_

"_Why are you constantly yelling at me? I'm just… I'm just having fun." Thea shrugged. She hadn't even acknowledged her recent behaviour. To her it was just becoming normal. She was just having fun._

"_Hey, I'm all for having fun and you know it, but there's a line you have to cross." AJ shook her head, "You can't use alcohol and whatever it is you're smoking… to deal with your problems."_

"_I'm not." Thea scoffed, "I'm just having fun with my friends. That's it."_

"_No, you're trying to escape things. Escape what's going on with your dad and-"_

"_God! Not everything is about him!" Thea exclaimed as AJ looked at her, "If I… If I make myself a sandwich, am I… am I doing it because he's in prison?" She questioned drunkenly as AJ scoffed, "Just because you miss him and cry about it every night doesn't mean I do." She spat harshly as AJ folded her arms, nodding slowly._

"_You're right. I do get upset every night. I can admit it. I sure as hell don't run away from it." AJ said._

"_You think that's what I'm doing?" Thea questioned._

"_I'm telling you that's what you're doing." AJ nodded._

"_Who the hell are you to criticise anyone? You're the reason dad is in prison." Thea spat as AJ looked at her, "In fact, you're both to blame. You should be riding out the sentence with him."_

"_I know you don't mean that." AJ shook her head._

"_Well it's true." Thea said._

"_You are going to get yourself hurt if you carry on this way, Thea. Can't you see I'm just worried about you?" AJ questioned._

"_Well I'm fine." Thea spat, "I'm going to bed."_

"_Thea." AJ sighed as Thea walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs._

_She got to her bedroom, opening up the door and walking in, closing it behind her and taking a deep breath, running her hand over her mouth as she walked over to her backpack sitting on the floor, taking the litre of vodka from it and unscrewing the cap for a drink. It was the first time she realised she was starting to need this stuff, rather than wanting it. But she refused to see it as a problem. She'd convinced herself it wasn't. _

_AJ sat down at the kitchen table, placing her hands over her face and taking a deep breath. She was living on constant nerves with her daughter, watching things spiral out of control so quickly. She feared of what was to come._

_Thea consumed almost all of the vodka in a short period of time, stumbling out into the bathroom and grabbing her make-up, changing into something a little more provocative._

"_Thea." Jude opened up the bathroom door, watching her sister._

"_What is it?" Thea asked her._

"_Where are you going?" Jude asked._

"_Out." Thea said, fixing her make-up as Jude watched. She spent a lot of her time wishing she was old like her sister, but even she could see how different Thea was acting as of late._

"_I thought you were grounded for leaving us." Jude frowned as Thea threw her mascara down on the bathroom floor, turning around to Jude who looked at her._

"_No. I'm not." Thea said, "Which thank you for that, by the way. You couldn't just go one second without telling mom everything. Could you?" Thea questioned._

"_You're acting weird again." Jude noticed._

"_Why do you keep saying that?" Thea asked, crowding her little sister as Jude looked up at her._

"_Because you keep being weird." Jude said, "Why can't we watch movies like we used to?" She asked sadly as Thea rolled her eyes._

"_Because I'm not a child." Thea spat, "I couldn't think of anything more boring than sitting at home watching movies with you." She shook her head as Jude looked at her sister._

"_You're mean." Jude said._

"_Get out of my way." Thea shook her head, shoving her little sister to the side and stumbling back into her bedroom._

_She picked up her leather jacket, putting it over her shoulders, picking up her lighter and phone on the way out as she made her way downstairs._

_AJ was already up, walking down the hallway as she watched Thea come downstairs in some very short shorts, a crop top and a leather jacket._

"_You're grounded, Thea. And you certainly aren't leaving this house looking like that." AJ shook her head._

"_I'm going out." Thea nodded, choosing not to listen to her mother, opening up the front door and rushing out._

"_Thea!" AJ yelled angrily, watching as Thea ran away down the street to God knows where._


	36. Up All Night

**Up All Night**

* * *

"Hey, what's going on here?" Punk asked, walking into Thea's living room where he saw her and Jude in their pyjamas watching TV, "Sleepover?"

"Yeah, actually." Jude said, "Dominic is back at work so to help out I said I'd stay and help the invalid." She rubbed her sister's arm as Thea rolled her eyes.

"So what'd you guys do sit on the couch all night and eat all this garbage?" He asked, noticing all the candy, chips and popcorn on the coffee table.

"Exactly that." Jude said.

"And we sit and talk about all the secrets we have that you and mom don't know about." Thea said teasingly as Punk made a face at her which she replicated back.

"Where is my favourite grandson?" Punk wondered, "Underneath this pile of junk?" He asked as Thea tried to kick him, wincing a little as she did so, "See, you try kick your father and bad things will happen to you." He warned as Thea scoffed.

"He is upstairs napping." Jude said, "Aunt Jude put him down." Jude smiled proudly.

"And aunt Jude fed him, changed him, burped him and everything in between because I… I can still barely move." Thea said with frustration.

"Hey." Punk said sternly, "What'd I tell you? Just because you're home doesn't mean you're gonna be feeling any better. It's still gonna take time." Punk said.

"I know that." Thea said.

"She tried going upstairs herself last night." Jude said.

"You are still such a tattletale." Thea turned to her sister who smirked.

"Thea, please take the help." Punk said, "All you're gonna do is hurt yourself."

"Yeah yeah." Thea said stubbornly.

"So you're staying here until she gets sick of you?" Punk asked Jude.

"I think that's the plan, yeah." Jude said, "I guess it worked out well since I wrapped up college for this term. Plus Kirsty has her family coming in from out of town this week so I gave up my bed for one of her cousins." She said.

"Well I guess this is a good idea. Let's Dominic get back to work." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, cause I don't want him to be running around after me." Thea shook her head.

"But you'll let us run around after you?" Jude asked.

"I'd use you as a foot stool if I needed to." Thea scoffed as Jude chuckled, "Why are you here anyway? Is that a gift for me?" She noticed the bag in his hand.

"They're pyjamas your mom bought for you." Punk said, "Some sweat pants and a couple of t-shirts too. Since you're just resting on the couch." He said, "I'll sit these over here." He sat the bag over.

"Jude was just telling me how she thinks she's gonna marry Sean." Thea said deviously as Punk looked over.

"Uh… no I wasn't." Jude chuckled nervously, nipping her sister's arm.

"Hey." Thea chuckled.

"You've known the guy a couple months." Punk laughed, equally nervous as Thea smiled, "And you're a child."

"Yeah ok, dad." Jude nodded, humouring him, "Why aren't you at work?" She questioned.

"I am entitled to a day off, you know." Punk said, "What did you guys watch?" He asked curiously, sitting down on the couch.

"Weekend at Bernie's two. American Pie. Mean girls. 13 going on 30. Freaky Friday." Jude listed, "What else?"

"Fifty shades of Grey." Thea smiled to Punk who shook his head.

"You both suck. No Star Wars or Slapshot? Big Trouble in Little China? Indiana Jones? Uh… Back to The Future-"

"Oh, you mean all the lame ass dad films you force on us?" Jude asked, "No, we gave them a pass."

"No, I mean the best films out there." Punk corrected childishly, "I do like 13 going on 30, though." He mumbled to himself.

"We know you do." Thea smiled, "How are you anyway?" She asked him.

"I'm all good." Punk assured them, "I actually only came over here to see James." He said, folding his arms as Thea chuckled.

"Why do I believe that's true?" Thea said as Punk smiled to her, "Nothing comes in between James and his naps, I'm afraid." Thea said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, he's like you both when you were little." Punk nodded, "You especially." He pointed to Jude, "You used to fall asleep at school."

"Why?" Thea asked, laughing.

"Bored of all the shit my teachers were talking probably." Jude shook her head as Punk chuckled.

"Maybe." Punk said, "Your mom wanted to take you to a sleep clinic but… I think you just liked napping." Punk shrugged.

"I still take my naps." Jude shrugged, "Nothing wrong with an hour to recharge your batteries."

"Hey, I agree." Punk nodded, "My batteries need charged a lot more than yours do, though." He said, "I remember when I used to find you both up during the night, downstairs watching movies.' He said.

"That was all her." Thea pointed to Jude, "She always woke me up."

"Hey, you woke me up sometimes too." Jude said.

"Hey maybe that's why you always fell asleep in your classes." Thea chuckled as Jude scoffed as Punk just smiled.

* * *

"_April." Punk whispered, lying in bed with his wife who was fast asleep, "Ape." He nudged her a little as she kicked him, "Why do I hear the TV on downstairs?" Punk asked._

"_You're so loud." AJ grumbled, "Just shh." She placed her hand over his mouth as he rolled his eyes._

"_I'm asking you a question." He said as AJ opened one eye, "The TV is on downstairs." He could hear._

"_It's probably just the girls." AJ waved her hand, "I have to be up in like three hours, baby." She shook her head, pulling the covers up around her, "Let mama sleep." She whispered, falling back asleep right away as Punk shook his head._

"_Oh, ok. I'll go see if someone is trying to rob us then. Don't you worry." He said sarcastically as AJ opened her eye back up._

"_Not asleep yet." She said as he raised his eyebrows._

"_I mean… love you." He leaned over and kissed her cheek._

"_Mhm, that's right." AJ hummed, closing her eyes back over as Punk got out of bed, putting on some shorts and t-shirt and leaving their bedroom._

_He headed downstairs, running his hand through his normally slicked back hair, falling back over his eyes regardless as he made his way to the living room door, pausing and watching his daughter's sitting on the couch together with a blanket, some chips and a film playing on the TV. He couldn't be mad, because the sight was so sweet. _

_Five year old Jude and eleven year old Thea were sat on the couch, a blanket over them and a movie set up on the TV, living their best life. It was times like these where he saw the sisterly bond they really shared. _

"_Hey." Punk said quietly, so not to scare them as they both turned around._

"_Hi, daddy." Jude noticed calmly, as if it was normal to be awake at 3am watching movies._

"_Hi." Punk chuckled a little, "What are you guys doing?" He shook his head._

"_Watching a movie." Thea said._

"_We can't sleep." Jude explained._

"_It's the middle of the night." Punk said, "You guys can't be down here."_

"_Says who?" Thea questioned._

"_Me." Punk answered._

"_No, daddy we've already started our film. We're watching Pocahontas." Jude told him, "Please don't put us to bed." She pouted her little lip as Punk folded his arms._

"_Alright, fine." Punk caved as they both smiled. He loved that smile. The 'we just got away with something' smile, "Only if I can watch too." He said as Jude smiled whilst Thea rolled her eyes._

"_No, go away." Thea scoffed._

"_No, stay." Jude smiled sweetly, reaching over for his hand and pulling him over to the couch._

_He collapsed down beside Jude on the couch, smiling as he watched her cover him with the blanket, making sure he was comfortable._

"_Thanks." Punk nodded to her as she smiled. He looked over at Thea sitting at the opposite side of Jude, extending his arm behind and messing with her playfully as Thea chuckled and pushed his hand away._

"_Ok, play." Jude instructed her sister, grabbing the bag of chips and sitting them in the basket of her legs._

"_Something is telling me this isn't the first time you two have done this." Punk said._

"_We do it all the time." Jude said honestly._

"_You're not supposed to tell him." Thea hissed at her sister._

"_Shh, it's starting." Jude pushed her sister's arm as Thea flicked her teasingly._

_AJ woke up a few hours later to get ready for work. She noticed Punk wasn't in bed beside her, but didn't grow concerned as he wasn't the best sleeper at times. She showered and got ready for work, trying to be quiet as it was still super early, figuring the girls would be asleep in their beds._

_She got her things together and headed downstairs quietly, pausing at the bottom with confusion as she heard the TV on. She walked on through to the living room, pausing with a smile as she saw Punk lying on the couch asleep with Jude on top of him, also asleep, and Thea lying at the other side of the same couch, fast asleep curled up._

_She smiled at her babies, walking over and fixing the blanket over them, giving all three of them a kiss before heading out to work._

* * *

"I didn't notice how good the soundtrack is on this movie…" Punk turned around, noticing Thea and Jude had fallen asleep on the couch in the middle of watching a movie with them. He figured they had been up all night like they did when they were kids.

He then began to hear James crying upstairs, watching Thea open her eyes up immediately.

"Hey, I'll get him. It's ok." Punk assured her as she nodded, falling straight back asleep as soon as she knew he was there to get James.

He left the living room and headed upstairs, walking into the nursery and getting James from his crib.

"Hey, little guy." Punk smiled, "Hey, you need changed? Huh?" Punk hummed, walking over to the changing table to change James.

He felt very fortunate to be fit and able to play such a role in his grandson's life. To have the time and years ahead of him to watch him grow.

"You probably want fed too, huh?" Punk nodded, "Well we're gonna need to go scout around in the kitchen because I don't know where your mommy keeps the formula." He said, looking on at James who wriggled his little arms and legs. He was really cute as a button, and he saw a lot of Thea in him.

"Ok, let's go." Punk nodded, scooping James into his arms, grabbing the dirty diaper to take down to the trash outside.

He headed downstairs, walking through to the kitchen and walking outside, making his way over to the trash, opening up the lid, about to throw the diaper in when he paused, looking in the trash with concern as he saw the empty beer bottles.


	37. Mixed Up

**Mixed Up**

* * *

"Dominic. You got a second?" Punk got out of his car, walking across the construction site where Dominic was working.

"Sure. What's up?" Dominic asked, "Is Thea good?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah, she's fine." Punk nodded, "I was over there this morning. She was mostly sleeping so I hung out with James for a little bit." He said as Dominic nodded.

"He behave for you?" Dominic smiled.

"Yeah, he's good as gold." Punk nodded, "I uh… look, I know this is awkward, and I wasn't snooping around or anything." He began, scratching the back of his neck, "I saw the beer bottles in the trash outside." He said as Dominic looked across at him, "Are you drinking again?"

"Why the hell were you looking in my trash?" Dominic shook his head defensively.

"Well I wasn't, I… I was throwing a diaper out and I saw it. It's not like I was looking for it." Punk defended.

"It was just… it was just a couple I had when Thea got shot, way back at the start. I caved." Dominic said.

"It didn't… it didn't look like a couple to me." Punk said, "I know it's been tough these past couple months, with Thea in hospital, but if you ever need to talk or… whatever, me and April are here for you just as much as we are for Thea." He reminded him.

"I know that." Dominic nodded, "I just… I lost it for a hot second, but I'm fine now. I haven't touched the stuff in weeks. And I'm back at work now so it's gonna be fine." Dominic assured him.

"Does Thea know?" Punk asked him.

"No, and she… she doesn't need to. She's going through enough right now. I reeled it back in, I promise." Dominic said as Punk nodded slowly.

"Well if you ever feel like that again, come talk to me, or we can go to a Hawks game or something, to take your mind off it." Punk said, "Things will start getting better now. Much better."

"I know. It even makes such a big difference just having Thea home again. I thought I was gonna go insane with how quiet the house was without her around. I… I hated it." He shook his head.

"Well I'd be concerned if you enjoyed it." Punk said, "Not that I'm telling you what to do but… I'd tell Thea about it. She values honesty, you know that."

"I know, I will once things calm down a little. I just want her to focus on getting better and back to herself. She's super frustrated that she can't do anything and that she constantly needs help. She gets upset about it when no one is looking." Dominic said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah well I know she hates to cry in front of people." Punk said.

"The fact she can barely hold James is messing with her too. She hates it." Dominic said, "And I hate that… bastard who did this to her."

"Yeah, I'm with you on that." Punk sighed, "But he's… he's not even worth thinking about. He's finally where he belongs and Thea will get better, that's the most important thing." Punk said as Dominic nodded, "I just don't want you to be suffering in silence in the background of it all." He said as Dominic nodded.

He got on well with Dominic. He was a good guy who cared so much about Thea and James. He put himself in his shoes and realised just how difficult it had to have been to see Thea in hospital the way she was. He didn't want him to suffer in silence.

"Thank you." Dominic nodded, appreciating it.

He didn't have a dad growing up, so he really appreciated Punk's words and advice whenever he gave it to him. And he appreciated he and AJ for all the help they gave him and Thea. From becoming parents, to their addictions, to basic things.

"Ok, I'll let you get back to work." Punk nodded, "Good luck having Jude staying with you guys, by the way." He said as Dominic chuckled.

"I know, there's two of them now. It's haunting." Dominic said as Punk chuckled, heading back to his car and driving off.

* * *

"Oh, no. You didn't." AJ sighed sadly, sitting at the kitchen table with Punk later that night.

"I did. But don't worry, I talked to him about it and he said it was back when Thea was really bad at the hospital. Said he just lost it for a little bit but he's doing better now, especially now Thea is back home." Punk said as AJ frowned.

"Was he mad you found them?" AJ asked him, taking a sip of her water.

"At first. I think he thought I was going around looking for it. I just came across them in the trash when I was throwing a diaper out." Punk said, "And obviously they aren't Thea's."

"He's had a tough time, to be fair." AJ nodded, "But why didn't he come see us? Talk to us? If he was struggling." AJ said.

"Well that's always easier said than done." Punk said, "I told him that we're always here, and he knows that. He knows we're here for him. I genuinely do believe him that he just had a moment of weakness." Punk said.

"Oh, I really hope so." AJ sighed worriedly, "Does Thea know?"

"No, and he said he wasn't gonna tell her. Well, not right now anyway. Which… normally I would disagree and persuade him to tell her but she's got enough going on right now. When she's back to good health he can talk to her about it and let her know." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"I hope he's ok." AJ sighed, "I mean it must have been awful to see her like that in hospital, and to be taking care of James on his own… well, without Thea." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know but things are getting better, moving in the right direction." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Yes they are." AJ smiled sweetly, "How is Thea anyway?"

"Well I didn't really talk to her much because she fell asleep. Both of them did actually." Punk said.

"Both of them?" AJ asked.

"Oh, yeah. Jude was there. She's been staying over there to help Thea when Dominic is at work, and to help with James." Punk said.

"Oh, that's a good idea." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"They were up all night watching lame movies." Punk said, "So they fell asleep this morning when I stopped by. Reminded me of when they were kids and they used to sneak down to the living room and watch movies."

"Yeah, I remember that." AJ smiled fondly, "Well I finish at 12 in the afternoon tomorrow so I'm gonna go see Thea on my way home. Bring her some lunch. See my favourite little guy." AJ smiled excitedly just as Cassie came into the kitchen.

"Hey, sport. How was school?" Punk smiled.

"Fine." Cassie said.

"Babe, there's dinner over there help yourself." AJ nodded, "I thought you had soccer practise tonight?" She questioned, "Straight after school?"

"It got cancelled." Cassie said, taking a plate out from the cupboard and helping herself to dinner.

"Why'd it get cancelled?" Punk asked her.

"Coach is sick." Cassie said, grabbing a fork and leaving the kitchen as Punk raised his eyebrows, turning to AJ.

"Why do I get the impression as of late that she hates our guts?" Punk questioned as AJ chuckled a little.

"Welcome to raising a teenager." AJ nodded.

"I know but it feels more amplified these past few days." Punk said.

"She just has an attitude. Thea and Jude were the same." AJ shrugged, "Hormones." AJ waved her hand.

"Yeah, I get all of that but ever since… everything went down with Rio, she's been really quiet." Punk said, "Not her usual self really." He said.

"I've talked to her about everything that happened… with us being taken and why it all happened. I didn't go into much detail but, I gave her a run-down of it." AJ said, "I forget how in the dark she is to all of this stuff sometimes." She shook her head.

"Yeah, me too." Punk sighed, playing with his food, "You told her I was dealing drugs?" Punk asked her as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I had to." AJ sighed, "She's old enough."

"So that's why she's barely talking to me?" Punk nodded to himself.

"No, hey… she's not ignoring you. She's sixteen. That's like the worst age to be." AJ smiled, trying to assure him.

"Well what did she say to you about it? Did she ask questions?" Punk asked curiously.

"Yeah, just a few. I think she was a little mad that… Thea and Jude knew about it all and she didn't. I think she feels like the black sheep sometimes, you know? The massive age gap doesn't help." She sighed.

"You really think that's how she feels? I'd hate it if she felt like that." Punk sighed, suddenly not feeling hungry, putting his fork down.

"Hey, it's not anything to worry about. What were we supposed to do? Tell her when she was eight?" AJ asked.

"Should I talk to her?" Punk asked, "Explain more things to her? I just… I feel like it's going back to how me and Thea were when I got out of prison. I don't want her hating me and changing her opinions on me." He sighed to himself.

"Hey, baby she won't." AJ shook her head, "Thea had a lot going on back then. You've been here for Cassie since she was eight. She knows you. Her opinions aren't going to change. You're her dad." AJ said. She knew that everything still affected him, especially when it came to their kids and how he believed they viewed him. She wished he would understand just how important he was to their daughter's.

"It's always you they ask for." Punk said, "It's always you they cry to." He said, "Complain to." He nodded.

"I think that's just because of those eight years that you were gone. It was just me around, it was just me they had to come to if they had a problem. Baby, I am no more important to them than you, please believe that." She took his hand as he nodded.

"Yeah, I know." He smiled softly.

"Come here." AJ sighed, walking around the table, sitting down on his lap and hugging him, "You have no idea how much the three of them adore you." She said, "No idea." She whispered, hugging into him and kissing his cheek as he smiled.

* * *

"_I want my mom." Thea cried, doubled over the hospital bed, holding onto the gas and air tightly which she was continuously inhaling. _

"_She's coming. She's coming." Dominic nodded, trying to soothe her the best he could, rubbing her back softly as Thea cried._

"_Did you call her?" Thea asked._

"_Yeah. And your dad. He's on his way. I… I couldn't get a hold of your mom but your dad said he would." Dominic said, "You're doing real good." Dominic nodded._

_She'd been in labour all morning. They didn't alarm anyone until they got to the hospital, and things seemed to have been progressing quicker than what Thea thought, and as the pain got worse for longer, she didn't want her husband, her sisters or her dad. She wanted her mom._

"_How are you doing Thea?" A doctor walked into the room as Thea shook her head._

"_I don't think I can do this." Thea panicked, shaking her head, "I can't."_

"_You're already half way there, sweetie." The doctor nodded, "And you're doing so good." She said, checking to see how much more she had dilated._

"_You get paid to say that!" Thea yelled through her crying as Dominic rubbed her back._

"_You're about six. Things are coming along nicely." The doctor nodded as Thea looked at her._

"_Nicely?" Thea questioned, "That is not the word I would use to describe this." She moaned, leaning her forehead on the bed mattress, standing leaning over as she cried into the sheets._

"_Thea." Punk burst into the room with Cassie and Jude._

"_Where's mom?" Thea looked up, "Where is she?"_

"_She's on her way. She was in a meeting and her phone was off-"_

"_Why are you sweating so much?" Cassie chuckled, folding her arms as Thea glared over at her._

"_I swear to God I will beat you up." Thea warned as Cassie smirked, "I just want my mom." Thea cried to herself as Punk watched. _

"_Ok, why don't you two go wait outside right now?" He asked Jude and Cassie._

"_Yeah, she's making too much noise." Jude agreed, taking her little sister out of the room whilst Punk stayed._

"_How long have you been here?" Punk asked._

"_Too long." Thea groaned._

"_Since 8am this morning." Dominic answered, "The doctors are really happy with how things are going, though." He nodded, rubbing Thea's back who was clutching the gas and air, breathing it in again._

"_Sweetie, you're doing real good." Punk nodded, "Just think, tonight the little guy is gonna be here." He said as she nodded, "I know this has gotta be the toughest part but it'll be worth it, trust me." He assured her. _

"_It better be worth it." Thea spat, getting back into the bed, "They started off fine and now I feel like I'm… being split in two." She cried as Punk looked over at Dominic who was equally as stressed, just without the pain, "How far away is mom?" Thea frowned, looking at Punk._

"_She'll be here real soon, I promise." Punk nodded._

"_I'm scared." Thea cried, "What if… what if I can't do this?" She questioned._

"_You can do this." Punk nodded, "I know you can."_

"_N-No… not just… not just this part but… being a mom." Thea said frantically, "I don't know anything about kids or… or what they need." She panicked, not stopping to take a breath, "And I've been such a mess my whole life I… I I'm gonna screw this up, aren't I?" She nodded as Punk shook his head._

"_No, no of course you're not." Punk shook his head, "You are gonna be amazing." He said, "And this little boy is so lucky to have you as his mom." He nodded as Thea rolled her head back on the pillow whilst Punk looked over at Dominic with concern._

"_She's had a lot of drugs." Dominic nodded quietly, giving explanation to the frantic panicking she was doing._

"_Dad." Thea looked back up._

"_What?" Punk said, "What is it?"_

"_I'm sorry." She nodded as Punk shook his head with confusion._

"_For what, sweetheart?" Punk asked with confusion. _

"_For not visiting you in prison." She nodded, "And for… for saying I didn't want you in my life." She shook her head as Dominic looked over a little awkwardly. _

"_You have nothing to be sorry about." Punk shook his head, "That's all in the past and… we all did what we had to back then to get by." He said as she nodded._

"_Thea." AJ burst through the hospital room door._

"_Mom." Thea cried with relief, dropping her husband's hand as AJ abandoned her bags and rushed over to the side of the bed._

"_Hi, baby." AJ smiled, "How are you doing?" She asked, hugging Thea, cupping her cheeks._

"_I'm scared, I don't know what to do." Thea cried, hugging into her mother as AJ kissed her head._

"_You got this, Thea. I know you do." AJ nodded, turning to Punk who nodded to her._

"_I don't know if I can do this." Thea shook her head._

"_Yes you can." AJ nodded, "And you will." She said as Thea nodded, already feeling somewhat better just by seeing her mom and hearing her voice._


	38. Little Little Sister

**Little Little Sister**

* * *

"Guess who made it all the way downstairs on her own this morning?" Thea smiled, standing in the kitchen with Dominic who had just gotten home from work, a few days later since she'd been home.

"Babe, be careful." Dominic said worriedly.

"I was. Jude was right behind me the entire time but I did it myself." Thea cheered, "Took me like half an hour but still." She said as Dominic smiled.

"As long as you're not pushing yourself too hard." Dominic said.

"I'm not." Thea insisted, "I gotta build my strength up somehow." She said.

"I know but you gotta do it little by little." Dominic said, "I know it's in your stubborn nature to not listen to me but I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all." He said, kissing her sweetly as she kissed back.

"I know." Thea smiled, "But really, I'm ok. I… I am starting to feel a little better, like I can move a little better. So if I can just build my strength up, a little bit every day." She said positively as Dominic nodded with a smile. It was good to see her having a positive outlook on things, especially right now after struggling for a while.

"Please tell me your sister has gone home." Dominic said as Thea gasped, "Hey, you know I love Jude to death but she's… she's a lot to handle. And plus she always eats my food." He said like a child as Thea chuckled.

"She's gone to Sean's for the night." Thea nodded, "And James is down for the night."

"Oh, really?" Dominic smiled as Thea nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck, "You think you can go right now?" He smirked as she chuckled.

"All I gotta do is lay down and take it, right?" She whispered back as Dominic chuckled.

"If that's the way you want it. Yeah." Dominic smirked, holding her chin under his finger as he kissed her, deepening the kiss as someone walked into the house.

"Thea!" Cassie called as Dominic pulled back from the kiss.

"You and your damn sisters." He huffed as Thea smiled, turning her head and watching as Cassie came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Cass. What's up?" Thea smiled.

"Uh… nothing." Cassie shrugged, "I just wanted to come see you." She nodded.

"Oh, well that's nice." Thea smiled, getting a hug from her little sister.

"Where is James?" Cassie asked.

"Oh, he's sleeping." Thea frowned, "You just missed him going down."

"Oh, that's ok." Cassie said.

"I'm gonna pop out and get some things from the store. You guys want me to pick up a pizza or something?" He asked them.

"Sure." Cassie nodded.

"I won't be long." Dominic said, kissing Thea on his way out of the kitchen, heading out of the house.

"I thought Jude would be here too." Cassie said, sitting down at the kitchen table whilst Thea slowly took a seat also.

"She's gone to Sean's for the night." Thea said, "Did you walk here by yourself?" She asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Cassie asked, opening up the fridge and taking a soda out.

"Well it's late, Cass." Thea said, "You shouldn't be out on your own. Does mom and dad know you're here?" She asked.

"Yeah." Cassie shrugged, looking down.

"Cassie." Thea looked across at her, "Do they?"

"No. I'm supposed to be at soccer practise right now." Cassie said.

"And why aren't you there?" Thea shook her head.

"I don't know. I didn't feel like going." Cassie sighed, playing with the top of her can of soda.

"Why not?" Thea asked.

"Well there's a party tonight." Cassie said as Thea looked at her, "And I was gonna go but you gonna bring alcohol so…" She looked at Thea who looked back, both of them staring at one another, reading each other's mind.

"Did you come here to ask me for alcohol?" Thea questioned.

"Just a little bit-"

"You came to the sister with the alcohol problem? For alcohol?" Thea asked.

"Well in all fairness, I thought Jude would be here." Cassie said, "I need someone to buy it for me."

"Cass, come on… you're better than that." Thea said, "You love soccer. It's your thing-"

"It's not my thing. That sounds lame." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Babe, you're so good at it. It is your thing. You don't wanna go to lame ass parties, trust me." Thea shook her head.

"You couldn't just ask Dominic to buy me like a bottle of something-"

"Cassie." Thea shook her head, "No, I am not getting you alcohol. You're sixteen."

"And when did you first start drinking?" Cassie challenged.

"That is…" Thea groaned, "Not relevant." She waved her hand, "What's the deal with mom and dad? Why haven't you told them you don't wanna go to soccer practise anymore?"

"I don't know." Cassie shrugged, "Ever since everything happened with that guy, and you getting shot… I feel like I don't actually know my own parents." She said as Thea nodded slowly, "Like at all."

"Hey, you do. Everything that happened isn't a reflection on who they are as people. I used to think that and it took me a while to figure out that it's not the case." Thea said.

"Dad was a drug dealer. That's like… that's so fucked up." Cassie shook her head as Thea sighed.

Thea realised that everything that was just common knowledge to her and Jude, was still information that Cassie was yet to be exposed to. She, in some way, had been shielded from all of it her entire life, so she could understand why finding out about it was a big deal for her.

"I know it is." Thea agreed, "And hey, I get it. When I found out I was… I was confused as hell. And I couldn't understand why." Thea nodded, "But he's still our dad, it really doesn't change anything. Take it from me." She said.

"You've know about it for so long, though." Cassie said, "It's different."

"I know but I was your age too at one point. Don't rub it in my face that it was a while ago." Thea smiled, "And yeah I was… I was pissed. And I even vowed not to speak to him ever again."

"You did?" Cassie asked as Thea nodded.

"And then I realised that… he's a good person who just made one mistake that kept biting him in the ass." Thea said, "And that no one cares about us more than he does." She said as Cassie sighed, "And trust me, I tried dealing with it… well actually, I did deal with it with alcohol and… and drugs." She shook her head, "And look what happened there." She said as Cassie nodded slowly, "So if you're stressed about it, please don't go to a party or anywhere else that might get you into trouble. Come to me or Jude."

"I guess in the back of my mind I knew you wouldn't let me go anyway." Cassie said, "It's just so weird that… they got into so much trouble. I mean I thought our parents were angels and now all of a sudden people want to kill them and they were dealing drugs and everyone knows their name around here… not for good reasons." Cassie listed.

"They had a shitty start in life." Thea nodded, "I mean don't you think it's weird that we don't have any grandparents or any other family?" She asked as Cassie shrugged.

"Well we have Sam." Cassie said as Thea rolled her eyes.

"Who dad doesn't talk to." Thea reminded her as Cassie nodded.

"I never even thought about… mom's family." Cassie realised, "Where are they?"

"They're in Puerto Rico… and they're not good people." Thea said.

"I just thought I knew it all. You know?" Cassie shook her head, "Thought I had everything figured out."

"They just never wanted you to be exposed to all of that drama. Not yet." Thea said, "Me and Jude sort of had to because… well dad went to prison and mom had to tell us why." She said.

"I just feel like it's… it's you and Jude… and then there's… there's me." Cassie shrugged, "I'm just there, in the background."

"Is that how you feel?" Thea shook her head as Cassie nodded, "Why do you feel like that?"

"I'm just… I'm always the last to know things. I feel like no one listens to me." Cassie said as Thea sighed.

"Babe, you were still so young when everything was really going on. You're kinda lucky, actually. Lucky you missed out on all of the shit that happened." Thea said, "I mean I remember when you were a little girl, three or four, and I had ruined a thanksgiving or something." She said, "And I came home drunk, high… you saw me and you asked me why I smelled funny." She smiled as Cassie looked across at her.

"What's your point?" Cassie asked.

"My point is… you were really little. And you're the baby, we gotta protect you from things." Thea said.

"I'm not a baby anymore." Cassie said.

"I know but you're still my little little sister." Thea said, "And I know there's a big age gap between you and me, and even you and Jude, but nothing changes the fact that you're our sister." Thea nodded.

"It's just weird when you grow up and you realise all the things you didn't know." Cassie said.

"Yeah, I know." Thea said, "But then you get used to it and… none of it really matters because family is family. And no matter what our parents did in the past, the trouble they got into, they always loved us and cared about us. I think I understood that more as I got older." She said.

"Is all of that the reason that you… did drugs?" Cassie asked. She never really talked to Thea about that stuff, because like Thea said, she was so little when it all went down, and she barely knew much about it, other than her sister had some alcohol and drug problems.

"I don't think it was the sole reason, but… probably played a part in it." Thea nodded.

"So you blame mom and dad?" Cassie asked.

"I did, I used to. But… it's not really a blaming game. They didn't tell me to do it. I got mixed up with the wrong people, the wrong influences. I felt like I was in charge of myself and… ended up really ill." Thea nodded, "So baby if you ever wanna get some alcohol, you ain't getting it from me." She said strictly as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, I figured." Cassie said, "Maybe I'll just… I'll just stay here and have pizza with you guys." She shrugged as Thea smiled.

"I'd really like that." Thea nodded, "And hey, just… cut mom and dad some slack. They're alright, you know. I know it's a lot to take in and you've… you've been through a lot too these past couple months with that lunatic taking you and mom." She said as Cassie nodded.

"I try not to think about it." Cassie said as Thea nodded.

"I know. I know I'm so much older than you but you really can talk to me about anything. And I know Jude would say the same. No one thinks you're just in the background." Thea shook her head. It broke her heart that her little sister felt that way. She was so important to all of them, and just had the misfortune of being a lot younger.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie said, "Thanks." She smiled as Thea nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile Dominic had just came out of the store, opening up the trunk of the car and sitting the bags in. He shut the trunk down, locking the car up and heading across the road to the pizza place they always got food from.

On his way, he passed a bar, pausing for a second as he felt his hands sweating slightly, looking on at the door, taking his cap off and running his hand through his hair. It wasn't a feeling many would understand unless they had addiction problems. He wished he could have just walked on by, bust as of late, that had been much harder to do with all the stress in his life.

He walked into the bar, making his way over to the counter and sitting down on a stool, sitting his cap and car keys down.

"What you having?' The bar attender walked down the bar to him as Dominic looked at her and nodded.

"Beer. Whatever you got." Dominic waved his hand. The worst part was, he hated every part of himself for doing this, but he was in too deep now.

"Sure." The bar attender nodded, pouring him a beer which he exchanged for the money.

He didn't even contemplate it, he was beyond that now. Now he just needed it.


	39. Good and Bad

**Good and Bad**

* * *

"Remember I'm always here if you need to talk." Thea nodded, standing at the door with Cassie, "Things will start making sense and… becoming normal to you. I promise." She rubbed her back softly as Cassie nodded.

Cassie took Thea's word, because she knew her sister had been through the most, and to hear her assurance that things would be ok, and that although it seemed confusing right now, it would get better, she really took that to heart.

"Hey, I didn't know you were coming here." Punk got out the car, coming to pick Cassie up, "Thought you were getting dropped off."

"Oh, I just came to see Thea." Cassie explained as Punk nodded, "Thank you." She nodded to Thea, giving her a gentle hug as Thea smiled whilst Punk watched fondly.

"I love you." Thea said, rubbing her back softly.

"Love you too." Cassie smiled, pulling back from the hug, stepping out of the house and heading to the car as Punk stood, looking over at Thea.

"Is everything ok?" Punk wondered.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, folding her arms, "Just… keep in mind this is all new information to her. It's nothing to the rest of us but she's… she's got all this information that, take it from me, can be kinda hard to digest." Thea said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, she's been a little distant. Me and your mom figured it was to do with that." Punk said, scratching the back of his neck as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, just give her some space. Let her make of it what she will and then… then talk to her." Thea said as Punk nodded.

"How you feeling?" Punk asked.

"I'm ok. Made it down the stairs myself today. Don't panic, though. Jude was behind me the entire time." Thea said, "I do feel a little more able to do things."

"Well I'm glad, just be taking it easy, though." Punk said as Thea nodded.

"Mhm, I will." Thea said.

"Where is Dominic?" Punk asked, noticing the car was gone.

"Well he was going out to the store and to pick a pizza up but he called me and said he had to go to the garage and see his brother, something about a job they were working on." Thea said as Punk nodded slowly.

"Right." Punk said, "Is Jude in there?"

"No, she's with Sean." Thea said.

"Are you ok on your own?" Punk asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine." Thea smiled, "Stop worrying." She said.

"Ok." Punk nodded, giving her a hug before getting back in his car and driving off.

* * *

"I didn't know you had a tattoo on your back… how come I didn't notice that before?" Sean asked, lying in bed with Jude, naked under the sheets as she chuckled.

"Maybe you were looking at other things, I don't know." Jude hummed as he chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess I was." Sean said, "What is it?"

"Uh… it's a dragon tattoo." Jude nodded, "Thea has it on the side of her hand. We got them together."

"That's sweet." Sean said, "You're super close to her, aren't you?" He asked as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, now. We weren't always close. I guess growing up helped." Jude nodded, "We said to Cassie once she turns eighteen, she's gotta get the same tattoo somewhere." She said as Sean nodded.

"I'm sure your dad approved anyway, he's covered in tats." Sean said.

"He didn't actually." Jude chuckled, "Well he said mines was fine because no one could see it but Thea's was dumb on her hand." She said, "I mean he has a fricking marshmallow on a stick on his arm. I don't see how he can call anyone else's tattoos dumb." She shook her head as Sean chuckled.

"I think he's just being a dad." Sean nodded, "Let me see it again." He said, turning on his side as Jude rolled onto her stomach. He pushed her long, dark hair to the side, looking on at the tattoo running up her spine.

"I told myself I'd only ever get one if it meant something." Jude nodded as Sean smiled.

"I think it's nice." Sean smiled as she rolled back onto her back, "I like that you can choose to show people." He said, "Makes me feel special."

"Oh, yeah?" Jude smiled.

"Yeah. How many other people have saw it?" He asked curiously as she chuckled.

"Are you asking my count?" Jude asked.

"Was that not subtle?" Sean wondered as Jude chuckled.

"Not really." She shook her head, "I mean I've… I've had a few boyfriends here and there. All assholes." She nodded.

"Is that your type? Assholes?" Sean asked.

"Why? Do you fit?" She questioned as Sean chuckled.

"I try not to." Sean said.

"I just… I always seem to go for the wrong guys, you know? The cheaters or the… the manipulative ones." She said.

"You've been cheated on?" He asked.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "But it's ok because my dad and my uncle just beat him up so…" Jude shrugged as Sean nodded slowly.

"Dating you comes with a lot of fear, I gotta say." Sean nodded as Jude smiled, "But… I can't understand why anyone would want to hurt you like that." He said as Jude shrugged.

"It's cheating. It happens all the time." Jude said modestly, to not make herself feel bad.

"Yeah but it shouldn't. No one deserves to feel like they're not enough." Sean shook his head.

"I agree." Jude nodded, "I was always under the impression that I was just waiting for the right guy anyway."

"You still waiting?" Sean asked her as she looked at him, smiling sweetly as she shook her head.

"No." She whispered, leaning over and kissing him, rolling over on top of him as he kissed her passionately.

* * *

It had gone past midnight and Thea was still awake downstairs waiting for Dominic. She started to grow concern as the hours went by, wondering what job he could be doing at this time.

When she heard him get home, she heard stumbling, as if he had fallen in the door, which alarmed her.

"Dominic?" Thea said, slowly sitting up on the couch, easing herself up to stand up, wincing a little as she did so, "Dom?" She shook her head.

"Hey." Dominic nodded, walking into the living room as Thea looked at him, tilting her head a little, noticing he wasn't looking at her, and noticing he was struggling with his balance, "How… How are you?" He asked her, desperately trying to act like he wasn't drunk, which only drew attention to the fact he was.

"Oh my God are you drunk?" Thea shook her head. Being drunk for either of them wasn't just the case of disappointment, or a needed slap on the wrist. It was so much more than that. So much more.

"N-No… no, what are you talking about?" Dominic laughed a little.

"You're drunk." Thea shook her head, looking across at him with concern, "What the hell, Dominic? How… when did you…" She shook her head, hating to see this, her heart hurting to see this.

"Look I just… I had a few. It was just a few." Dominic walked closer to her.

"You can't just a few. You know that." Thea shook her head, "You told me you were with your brother." She said, "Doing… doing some job-"

"I just didn't want you to worry and I… I thought you'd be asleep when I got home-"

"Oh, so you were going to lie to me and keep it from me? That was your plan?" Thea questioned.

"No… no, I was gonna wait until you were better to tell you I had a few slip ups, cause that's all this is, baby. I promise." He placed his hands on her shoulders softly.

"Wait a second." Thea looked at him, "How long have you been drinking?" She questioned with horror.

"W-What?" Dominic shook his head.

"How long, Dominic?" Thea gritted her teeth.

"I uh… I had a couple when you were really bad in hospital." Dominic said as Thea placed her hands in her hair, "It was just a few and I… then I stopped and then when I saw you were stressed in the hospital I had some more but… but I had it under control-"

"So then what was tonight for? You were supposed to be going to the store and coming back." Thea said as Dominic nodded, "Baby, look at me." Thea cupped his cheeks as he looked at her with hazy eyes, "You know you can't do this. You know it." She said, "Believe me, I understand. Every day I was lying in that hospital bed I just wanted to… I wanted to feel exactly how you do right now." Thea said, "But we can't. You can't." She reminded him seriously.

"I-I know… I know." Dominic nodded.

"For James." Thea said, "What do you want him to grow up around? This?" She questioned as Dominic shook his head.

"I promise it was just a few." Dominic said.

"You're lying. You're lying to make it ok and it's not ok." Thea said, "And you weren't even going to tell me."

"I was, I promise. Me and your dad agreed that… that when you were better, I'd tell you, but I planned on stopping before that-"

"My dad?" Thea shook her head, "Why is my dad involved in this?" She questioned, stepping back a little with confusion.

"He uh… he found some bottles in the trash and he came and talked to me about it. I just told him it was a one off, though." Dominic explained, rubbing his eyes.

"You brought drink into the house?" Thea questioned.

"It was when you were in hospital. I just… It was so lonely here and I missed you… It was tough-"

"And yet I'm home and you're still doing it." Thea pointed out, "Baby you know how this goes." Thea stepped back closer to him, taking his hands, "You know this doesn't end in your favour." She said, cupping his cheeks. To see him drunk was indescribably heart breaking to her.

"I know… I'm trying… I will stop. I promise." Dominic nodded to her.

"How many times have you said that to yourself over the past few weeks?" She questioned as he looked at her. It helped that she understood addiction, because her words meant that much more to him, because he knew she got it. She understood what it felt like. But with that came a tremendous amount of guilt.

"I'm sorry." Dominic shook his head, "I'm sorry, I… I promise I'm gonna stop." He ran his hands through her hair heavy handily, "I promise." He cupped her cheeks desperately as she nodded, placing her hands over his.

"I know you will." Thea nodded confidently, "I'm gonna help you and we'll do this together." She said as he nodded, "Go to bed." She said, "Go to bed and we'll talk about this in the morning." She said. She wanted him to be sober before she said any more to him.

"Ok… Ok…" Dominic stumbled back, staggering out of the living room.

She listened to him stumbling upstairs, placing her hand over her mouth as tears came to the surface. It had been years since either of them had relapsed, and it was hard to see her husband in that bad place she knew all too well.


	40. Watching

**Watching**

* * *

"Morning." Thea said, sitting at the kitchen table the next morning, feeding James as Dominic came through, rubbing his head a little.

"Morning." Dominic nodded, his head down, carrying his shame and guilt very visibly from what she could see, "How'd you get him down here on your own?" He asked. He knew she struggled carrying James, especially down the stairs.

"I bared the pain." Thea shrugged, looking down at James, smiling as she watched him enjoying his morning bottle in her arms, a feeling she'd been missing desperately whilst she was gone in hospital.

"Well you gotta be careful." Dominic nodded to her as Thea looked across at him, "Before we even get into this I just… I want to apologise for not being honest with you about it." He said, knowing what the topic conversation was going to be for the morning.

Thea watched as he pulled out the kitchen chair and sat across from her at the table.

"I just couldn't bring myself to tell you whilst you were in hospital." Dominic said, "I didn't want you to worry." He shook his head, "I thought I could just… I could deal with it and fix it on my own. And I know I can-"

"How long have you been drinking then? Every day since I was in hospital?" She questioned.

"Not every day." Dominic said, "But yeah I… the night after you were in hospital I… your mom and dad were looking after James, they said that I needed my sleep if I was visiting you so much." He said, "So it was just me in the house on my own." He said, "I couldn't handle it. I just needed a drink." He shook his head, "And I know you know how that feels. Like you'll die if you don't have it." He shook his head as Thea nodded.

"If you're expecting me to yell at you, I'm not going to." Thea shook her head, "I'm not… I'm not gonna give you into trouble and tell you things you already know." She said as he nodded, "But you know you have to stop. Sooner rather than later. Like… right now." She said, "Because it's not just me." She reminded him, looking down at James, hard not to smile so big when she watched him sweetly having his bottle.

"I know." Dominic sighed, "I know and I… I never wanna be that way around him." He nodded.

"I know you don't." Thea said, "If you need to go back to the AA group, I'll come with you, we'll do it together again." She smiled as he nodded, "But the quicker the stop, the quicker that craving will leave. You keep doing it, you're gonna wanna keep doing it. You know how it works." She shook her head. It was also mentally challenging for her to talk about it and see her husband back in this difficult situation again, because she did know how hard and difficult it was to get through.

"I know." Dominic nodded, "I promise you, I'm off it now. Last night I just caved. I knew Cassie was here and the pub was right across from the store… I just couldn't stop myself." He said, "But I'm gonna, and I'll… I'll do the meetings again." He said as Thea nodded.

"And please… please don't keep things like this between you and my dad." She shook her head.

"He found out on his own, I swear." Dominic said, "I… might have lied to him about it, though."

"What do you mean?" Thea asked.

"Well he asked if I was drinking again and I just said it was one time. He'd kill me if he found out I was drinking whilst you were in hospital."

"No he wouldn't." Thea said, "He'd wanna help you. You know my dad. He has his fair share of demons too. Doesn't have to be alcohol or drugs."

"I guess I just didn't want him to worry either." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"You'll get through it." Thea nodded to him as he ran his hands through his hair, leaning his elbows on the table, "I love you." She said as he nodded, looking across at her.

"I love you too." Dominic nodded, grateful to have her support, such calm yet serious support which told him everything he needed to do, not just for him but for his family.

"I missed feeding him in the morning." Thea said, "And his fuzzy bed hair." She chuckled, looking on at James' dark hair sticking up as Dominic smiled.

"I think he's missed you." Dominic nodded, watching Thea lean down and kiss James' head sweetly, seeing the bright smile he put on her face was enough to know he couldn't throw his family away for alcohol, he could let his addictions ruin everything he lived for and loved.

* * *

"_What the hell are you doing here?" AJ shook her head, walking into her house one early evening, "I didn't even know you had a key to my house." She said, walking into the kitchen where Sam was sitting._

"_Emergencies." Sam nodded._

"_And reading a magazine whilst having a cigarette is an emergency?" AJ questioned, sitting her purse and car keys down._

"_No, but I was supposed to be meeting Thea for coffee and she didn't show up." Sam said, "So I came by thinking she'd be here and… apparently not." She shook her head, "Where are Jude and Cassie?"_

"_Jude is visiting Punk and Cassie is at soccer practise." AJ said, referring to her four year old and eleven year old, "So… Thea blew you off?"_

"_Well I don't know, she hasn't called or text me." Sam put her hands up, "I was supposed to be meeting her at 1 for coffee." _

"_And she didn't show up?" AJ questioned._

"_No." Sam said, "I assume she had somewhere better to be." She shrugged as AJ sighed, placing both her hands on the kitchen table._

"_I… I can't do this anymore." AJ groaned as Sam watched her._

"_Ok, you don't wanna hear this, I know you don't." Sam stood up as AJ looked at her tiredly, "I know she's been giving you a hard time and I know it's just… alcohol and weed, whatever… but have you searched her room?"_

"_Searched her room?" AJ questioned, "I'm her mom, not a cop. What are you insinuating here? That… that she's on drugs?" AJ laughed a little, not even thinking about the possibility, because she quite simply didn't want to._

"_Yes, April. I am." Sam nodded as AJ looked at her in horror, "And you and I both know that with that stuff comes the people behind it who deal it. You know probably better than me, what those kind of people are like. Is that who you want your daughter associating with?" Sam asked._

"_You are… You are jumping way ahead here." AJ put her hand up stressfully, "It's just alcohol. It is. She's just drunk… sometimes she's high. That's it. She's not… she's not using any drugs."_

"_And you're sure of it?" Sam questioned._

"_I trust my daughter-"_

"_I don't." Sam told her truthfully as AJ looked at her, "And I know that deep down, right now, you don't either. And that's ok to admit. You're not a bad parent if you do." She shook her head as AJ looked at her._

"_She's ok. She's just having too much alcohol and I know that. I'm trying to deal with it." She promised._

"_You need to find out if she's using." Sam nodded._

"_She's not. I know my daughter, Sam-"_

"_Do you?" Sam asked, "I find that remarkable considering she doesn't even know who she is right now." She said as AJ looked across at her._

"_And you're… you're gonna give me parenting advice? You? Who left your sons to get beat up by your boyfriends or… or clients, should I call them?" AJ snapped back as Sam looked across at her._

"_I knew Phil would end up with a mouthy wife." Sam nodded, "Just like him." _

"_Yeah? Well deal with it." AJ said, "I trust my daughter. She's just… she's just having a difficult time right now. She's a teenager. It's… it's totally normally." AJ convinced herself._

"_Normal?" Sam questioned._

"_Yes. Yes, it is normal for a teenager whose father is in prison to be a little rebellious and a little… lost. Ok? That's normal." AJ spat, "And I'll help her, I have been helping her-"_

"_She needs professional help." Sam nodded, "And you need to find out if she's using-"_

"_Stop saying that!" AJ yelled. She couldn't quite think about the possibility of Thea using drugs of any kind. She just couldn't, "In fact, just get out." AJ nodded, "Get out of my house."_

"_I'm trying to help you." Sam said as AJ shook her head._

"_Please just leave." AJ begged as Sam put her hands up._

"_Fine." Sam said, putting her coat on and grabbing her purse, walking on out of the kitchen and leaving the house as AJ sat down at the kitchen table, placing her hands over her face and sighing._

_She knew her daughter's behaviour had been getting worse over the past year. The possibility of drug use was giving her heart palpitations. It was such a dangerous area she didn't want any of her daughter's to be around, and she was trying to do everything she could to help Thea but nothing seemed to work. She was scared to find out if there was drug use, and even more scared of the fact she had no idea what to do about it anymore._

* * *

"So are you still staying with your sister?" Kirsty, Jude's roommate and best friend asked as they walked through the corridor in the art institute where they took their classes and done their studying.

"Yeah, well… I go between hers and Sean's." Jude nodded to her.

"How are things going with you and Sean anyway?" Kirsty asked, walking into the darkroom to develop some pictures they had for a class, noticing a few other people using it as they walked over to a space in the corner.

"So good." Jude said, speaking a little quieter, "Honestly, he's so sweet and kind." She shook her head, "And listen to this, my dad had a spare ticket to the Hawks game the other night, he invited him… willingly." Jude shook her head with amazement.

"Isn't that just cause he feels guilty?" Kirsty chuckled, "I miss your dad, I haven't seen him in a while." She huffed as Jude scoffed.

"Stop being a predator to my dad, it's weird and my mom will kill you." Jude said.

"What? He's hot." Kirsty shrugged as Jude shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I don't think it was out of guilt. I think him and my dad are actually getting along." Jude nodded.

"Well I'm glad." Kirsty nodded, "Seriously."

"It's just so different. It's not like any other relationship I've had." Jude said, "It's like… before I was dating boys, now I'm dating a man." She said as Kirsty smirked.

"Go on. Tell me more." Kirsty smiled.

"He's just really sweet and kind. He actually takes me out on dates. And he listens to everything I say, and remembers it." Jude said, "Very generous in bed too, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, really? Those are rare." Kirsty nodded, taking out her apple from her bag and crunching on it whilst putting her pictures into the stop bath.

"You're not supposed to eat in here." Jude reminded her, like she did every time they went in.

"Says who?" Kirsty scoffed, shaking her picture in the solution a little as Jude did the same with hers beside, "What is that creep looking at?" She questioned, looking over at the guy in the next row looking over at them, particularly Jude, "He's always staring at you." She shook her head as Jude looked up.

"Jeremy? He's harmless." Jude shrugged, unbothered.

"He's weird." Kirsty corrected, crunching on her apple as Jude shook her head, focusing on her picture in the solution whilst the guy across the rows continued to stare, watching Jude closely as she laughed and talked to Kirsty.


	41. Anniversary

**Anniversary**

* * *

"Hey, it's just me." Jude called as she walked into her parent's house, "I brought donuts." She announced, walking through to the kitchen where she found Sam and Cassie, "Hey." She said to them both.

"Hey." Cassie smiled.

"Hi, sweetie." Sam nodded.

"Where is mom and dad?" Jude asked.

"Having date night." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Oh." Jude nodded, "And they left you to babysit?" She asked Sam who was sitting with a glass of wine and a cigarette in her other hand.

"Yes and what a fine babysitter I am." Sam smiled.

"You came an hour late." Cassie pointed out.

"Shh." Sam pointed to her, "How are you, baby? What's new with this new man of yours?" She asked as Jude put the donuts over on the kitchen counter.

"Nothing, things are going good." Jude nodded, taking a seat at the table, "He's even getting along with dad." She said.

"Well, he must be doing something right." Sam said, "How is your big sister? I haven't saw her in a while." She said.

"She's ok. She's still pretty couch and bed bound but she's making more movement every day. I'm staying with her tonight." Jude said, "I think the thing that bothers her the most is that she can't really look after James on her own." Jude said.

"Well that's only natural." Sam nodded.

"Where is mom and dad?" Jude asked Cassie.

"They went out for dinner." Cassie said, "It's their anniversary or something."

"Wedding anniversary?" Jude asked, puzzled, "No it's not."

"No, they're dating anniversary." Cassie said.

"People remember their dating anniversary?" Jude scoffed, "Weird."

"It's sweet." Cassie shrugged.

"I remember when your parents started dating." Sam nodded, "I remember your mom coming to our house-"

"I thought you were always drunk." Jude said.

"Well… I was like… almost drunk." Sam said, "Phil had come back to get some clothes or something and I saw your mom standing outside with Dean. She was just sixteen. Had the worst braces ever." Sam laughed to herself, "Feels like a lifetime ago now."

"Well it kinda was." Jude chuckled, helping herself to a donut which she had intentionally brought over for her parents, "So how long have they been together then?" She questioned.

"Thirty years." Sam nodded.

"Really?" Jude raised her eyebrows, "It's mad they still enjoy each other's company." She chuckled as Sam smiled.

"It's rare, that's for sure." Sam nodded.

"What about you, Sam? You don't have any boyfriend?" Jude asked.

"What do you think?" Sam chuckled, "I'm a little past that stage."

"I don't think you are." Jude shook her head, "I think you need to get back on the market." She nodded as Sam chuckled.

"Well maybe you could ask one of your friends for me then." Sam winked as Jude rolled her eyes, "What? You don't expect me to date someone my age, do you?"

"Well it's you, so of course not." Jude said as Sam chuckled.

"Is Sean treating you well? Better than your last boyfriend?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, he's so different. It feels right this time." Jude nodded as Sam smiled.

"I'm glad." Sam said, "I gotta go pee." She announced, getting up from the table and wandering away out of the kitchen to head upstairs.

"What are you doing?" Jude asked Cassie.

"Homework." Cassie said, "Math."

"I don't envy you." Jude shook her head as Cassie nodded, "Hey Thea called me about… the conversation you two had last night." She said as Cassie looked at her, "I want you to know that… you can talk to us about it all if you don't wanna talk to mom and dad. I know it's hard to sort of digest. And you've been through a lot these past couple months. I bet it feels like… a whole new world. Like everything isn't what it seems."

"Yeah, pretty much." Cassie nodded.

"We know how you feel." Jude nodded, "But it'll pass and you'll realise that all of that is just drama and it's in the past, well… now it's in the past." She said, "We're all the same people."

"I just… I thought drug dealers were really bad people." Cassie looked at her as Jude nodded.

"Well… they are." Jude said, "For the most part. But… there's also a lot of people that get stuck in that kind of life, by accident, not by choice. Like mom and dad." She said as Cassie nodded.

"It's just weird being the last person to know." Cassie said, "Made me kinda feel like an alien."

"Yeah, I know. But you're the baby." Jude smiled, "And you didn't need to be exposed to anything the way me and Thea were. You didn't have to know all of that, not until now where you can handle it a little better." She said as Cassie nodded.

"I definitely feel better after talking to Thea." Cassie said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, she's probably the best to go to when it comes to dealing with it all." Jude nodded, "But I'm here too, and even though we're a little bit older you're still our sister, and you can still come to us." She said as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie smiled as Jude nodded, kissing her head sweetly, "You wanna do my math homework?"

"No. You kidding?" Jude chuckled as Cassie groaned, "I'm nice but I'm not that nice." She said as Cassie scoffed.

* * *

"Hey, this is the first time we've got four bobbles for the tree this year." AJ smiled, standing next to Punk in the freezing cold, under the twinkly lights, beside the massive Christmas tree downtown in the city.

There were Christmas markets set up all around the tree, and there was a chance for people to write on bobbles to hang on the tree. Some people wrote messages to loved ones, others just wrote names on the bobbles.

Every year since Thea was born, they always went and put bobbles on the tree.

"Oh, yeah." Punk realised, watching AJ write James' name on one of the bobbles, whilst the other three had Thea, Jude and Cassie written on them.

"You remember the first time we took Thea down here to show her? She was so fascinated that her name was on the tree." AJ smiled as Punk nodded.

"Yeah and she was this big." He said, showing very small measurement with his hand from the ground, "Did you still do this when I was gone?" He asked her, putting Jude's bobble on beside Thea's whilst AJ did Cassie's and James' beside.

"Yeah, of course I did." AJ nodded, "Put your name up to." She said as he turned to her, watching as she put the bobbles on the tree with a smile.

"Even after you stopped coming to see me?" Punk asked her as she nodded.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "But let me tell you, I much prefer you here doing this me, rather than doing it on my own." She said as he smiled and nodded.

"Me too." He said, kissing her cheek as she smiled sweetly.

"Poor Thea said she wanted to come down here this Christmas, but with how she's feeling I don't think she'll get down." AJ frowned, making sure the four bobbles were on the tree securely, other families around the massive tree doing the same.

"She might, you never know." Punk said, "Still a few weeks to Christmas."

"Yeah, I know." AJ said, "Are they on tight enough?" She asked him as he nodded.

"Yeah, they're good." He smiled as she nodded, leaning her head on his arm, hugging into him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I swear it gets prettier every year." AJ smiled, looking on at the massive tree. It was freezing cold out, hats and scarfs were definitely on, but she couldn't think of a better way to spend her night.

"Yeah, I definitely missed things like this when I was gone." Punk nodded as she hugged him tighter, "You think you can manage some donuts after dinner?" He asked her.

They'd gone for dinner after they both finished work, and then had headed to the tree and markets, just like they did every year to celebrate their dating anniversary.

"Is that really a question?" AJ looked up at him as he smiled, both of them leaving the tree and walking through the markets.

"Remember those hot apple donuts they were doing last year?" Punk asked.

"I remember you coming down here every week to get them, yeah." AJ chuckled as Punk shrugged.

"They were damn good." Punk said, holding her hand in his as they walked through the markets, "How are we doing for presents this year?" He asked her.

"The only person I've been buying tons for is James." AJ chuckled, "Baby toys are so fun to buy." She said, "Everyone else… I have no clue."

"I saw this art experience thing for Jude. I think she'd like." Punk said, "Are we allowed to get Cassie soccer things anymore or she going on strike with that right now?" He wondered.

"Oh, I don't know." AJ sighed, linking her arm through his, "I think she's just… overwhelmed by everything that's gone on the past couple months."

"Yeah, I think so." Punk nodded, "But I think Thea talked to her last night. When I picked her up she seemed a lot better. I don't blame her. Poor kid has been in the dark with all of it and then… hit with everything at once." He shook his head.

"You just wanna protect them from it all, though. Don't you?" AJ sighed.

"Yeah, of course." Punk said, "And look, she's asked me things. She's not shy about it all. And I'm not gonna shy away with my answers. She deserves to know just like Thea and Jude do."

"Of course she does." AJ nodded, "I'm glad Thea spoke to her. If there's anyone who can assure her about it, it's her."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"I'm just glad they're all safe after what happened." AJ sighed, leaning into him.

"Me too." Punk nodded, kissing her head as she smiled.

"Thirty years… you have to be getting bored of me." She said as he chuckled a little.

"There is never a dull moment with you, sweetheart." Punk nodded as she smiled, "Maybe when we hit sixty years, though." He teased as she smiled, looking up at him as he paused, leaning down and kissing her sweetly as people walked their way around them.

* * *

"_Put it on! Put it on!" Three year old Thea jumped up and down, standing between her parents as she looked up at the huge big tree._

"_Alright alright, give me a minute." Punk chuckled, writing Thea's name on one of the bobbles which were available to put on the tree for the public. _

_Thea was in her hat, scarf and gloves, small but full of energy at this time of year especially. She was fascinated by the idea of her name going on the big Christmas tree. _

"_Let me see first." Thea told her father who crouched down, showing her the bobble._

"_Did I spell your name right?" Punk teased as AJ stood smiling, laughing a little when she saw Thea making sure he had spelt her name right._

"_Yes." Thea nodded, giving him the go ahead._

"_Do you wanna put it on?" Punk asked her._

"_I can't reach." Thea frowned sadly, her little shoulders falling down with disappointment._

_She suddenly felt her father lifting her up, sitting her on his shoulders as she giggled._

"_Careful." AJ said motherly as she watched._

"_Ok, you put it on." Punk handed the bobble up to Thea who was on his shoulders, reaching her little hand over and putting the bobble on one of the tree branches, "Slide it right in." Punk told her as Thea pushed the bobble on nice and tight._

"_Good job, baby." AJ smiled as Thea looked at her bobble excitedly, holding on to Punk's head for safety as Punk chuckled._

"_Hey, look at that." Punk smiled, putting Thea down on the ground as she looked up at her bobble happily, clasping her hands and gazing up with glee in her eyes._

_Punk looked over at AJ, both of them smiling to each other upon seeing how happy Thea looked, how sweet she was in her little hat, scarf, gloves and coat. To see her excitement through the holidays was the best. All the wonder and crazy imagination was amplified to the fullest, and Punk and AJ loved it. Even though they didn't have much, and went back to their one bedroom apartment, having each other was way more important than any gifts or goods they could get._

"_That's my bobble." Thea smiled, tucking her hands under her chin and grinning, "It's on the big tree." She told her parents, like they didn't already know._

"_It is." Punk smiled, lifting her up and holding her by his side as AJ leaned into him on his other side._

"_It's so big." Thea smiled as Punk nodded._

"_And now your name is on it, baby." AJ smiled as Thea nodded._

"_Hey, what do you say we go get some Christmas chocolate?" Punk asked._

"_Yeah." Thea nodded with a smile as Punk nodded, wrapping his arm around AJ on one side whilst he held Thea up on his other one, her little chin resting on his shoulder._

"_I love you." AJ smiled, looking up at Punk as he leaned down, kissing her sweetly whilst Thea leaned over his shoulder, looking back at the big tree with a smile and a twinkle in her eye._


	42. Lurking

**Lurking**

* * *

"Hi, sweetie, how are you?" AJ smiled, walking into Thea's house the next morning, finding her on the couch whilst James was on his little mat in front of her, lying staring up at the toys hanging over him, content and happy as always.

"Hi, mom." Thea smiled tiredly.

"You look tired." AJ frowned, walking over and giving her daughter a gentle hug.

"Yeah, I've been finding it hard to sleep." Thea nodded, "I didn't know you were coming today." She said.

"Yeah, it's my day off." AJ smiled.

"You should be out doing something fun on your day off, not sitting here with me." Thea said modestly.

"Oh, be quiet." AJ shook her head, "Did Jude stay over last night?" She asked, crouching down on the floor to say hello to her grandson, "Hi, handsome." She smiled, playing with his hands as Thea smiled.

"He'll pull on your hair." Thea said cautiously.

"Oh, that's ok." AJ smiled, giving her grandson lots of kisses.

"Jude stayed last night, yeah. She's not staying tonight, though. Said something about going out with Kirsty into town and then staying with Sean." Thea said as AJ nodded, "She told me you guys went to the tree last night." Thea said as AJ nodded.

"Oh, yeah. We did." AJ smiled, standing up from the floor, taking her coat off, "It was so pretty. I hope you get down to see it."

"Yeah well I wanted to go down and put James' name on it-"

"Oh, we did. That's what I said to your dad, the first time we've put four bobbles up instead of three." She said.

"I guess I kinda wanted to go down and make it my own tradition, with my own family." Thea shrugged as AJ nodded, "Doubt I'll make it down there, though."

"Hey, you might. You don't know." AJ rubbed her arm softly, "How is the pain?"

"It's ok just now. It's agony in the morning." Thea shook her head, "I can barely shower on my own." She said, "The physiotherapist is coming out in a few days to see me so I'm hoping that takes off soon, so I can start moving more. It's just so frustrating sitting here doing nothing."

"Oh, I know, sweetheart." AJ sighed, "But it won't be like this forever, you just gotta remember that." She said, "You'll build up your strength and you'll heal." She nodded, "You'll be as good as new in no time." She smiled.

"I hope so." Thea sighed stressfully.

"How is Dominic? Is he at work?" AJ asked, sitting in amongst the cushions on the couch beside Thea.

"Yeah, he's at work." Thea nodded, running her hand through her hair, biting her lip to try not burst into tears right there and then. After finding out Dominic had been drinking, it really took a toll on her mental state. She talked to him, and she never shied away from the subject matter, but being so injured, she felt like she couldn't help or support him the way she wanted to.

"Thea, honey, what's wrong?" AJ noticed Thea biting her lip. She knew her daughter. She knew when she was anxious or worried.

"Oh, nothing. I'm being stupid." Thea said, catching her tears, "I'm just frustrated, that's all."

"Hey, talk to me." AJ nodded, "What's bothering you?" She questioned. She could tell it was more.

"It's Dominic." Thea said as AJ looked at her, "He's been drinking." She said as AJ looked across at her and nodded.

"I-I know. Your dad found out and told me." AJ sighed.

"No, I mean… he's been drinking bad. Every night when I was in the hospital up until two nights ago." Thea said as AJ raised her eyebrows.

"N-No, he told your dad that it… it was just one-"

"Well he lied. Addicts lie and you know it." Thea said, "I called him out on it. I didn't tiptoe around him. I said we'd go back to the AA meetings and get control of it before it goes any further." She said.

"Yeah, of course." AJ nodded.

"But I feel like I can't actually do anything to help him because I can barely move. I mean I can barely give him a cuddle." Thea shook her head, "And he needs me right now."

"Thea, you also need him." AJ reminded her, "You've both had a rough couple months, you need to lean on each other right now." She said, "You're right, the quicker Dominic stops, the easier it'll be to bounce back from it." She said, "Do you want me or your dad to talk to him?"

"No… no, he'd be mad that I'm even telling you." Thea said, "He said we'd deal with it on our own. He's at work right now but then I'm like… doubting him." She cried, "Like… is he at work? Or is he at the bar?" She questioned stressfully, placing her hand on her forehead as AJ sighed.

"That's just the trust you have to put in him right now." AJ nodded, "And you just have to be there for each other." She said, "I think it's a good idea for him to go back to the AA meetings, and maybe now that he sees you're getting better, it'll help him." AJ said as Thea nodded, drying her tears.

"I just know how bad he must be feeling." Thea sighed.

"Well I think that's the good thing about your relationship, you both know and understand each other, and that for sure is gonna help." AJ said, rubbing her arm softly, "Are you sure you don't want me or your dad to do anything?"

"No… no, I think it's best if we just deal with it on our own." Thea nodded, "I know he'll get it together. If not for himself then for James. I know how he feels about… going off the rails now that he's here." Thea said, looking over at James.

"Exactly." AJ nodded, "I have no doubt that this is just a little hiccup. You've had a tough time, and it's obviously hurt him to see you like that and he's gave in, but he can fix it." AJ said as Thea nodded.

"I know he will, I just feel like I can't properly help him." Thea said.

"Hey, your support will always be enough. You have each other." AJ nodded, "Things will get better." She said as Thea nodded. She could see her daughter was struggling emotionally and mentally. It took a lot for Thea to cry over anything. That's when AJ knew it was really bothering her, and it broke her heart to see her so upset and worried.

"Just… just tell me about what you and dad yesterday." Thea nodded, drying her eyes up, "I don't wanna sit here and feel sorry for myself." She shook her head.

"Hey, you're allowed to be upset." AJ nodded, "Things will get so much better. And Dominic will be ok. We're all here for you and him. Whatever you need."

"Thank you." Thea smiled, "Seriously, what did you and dad get up to? Take my mind off of all of this." She said as AJ nodded.

"We did our usual. Went to Eddie's for dinner and then headed to the markets. Went to the tree and put the bobbles on." AJ said as Thea smiled.

"I love that you guys have done that every year." Thea smiled, "Well… excluded the eight years dad was in prison." She said as AJ nodded, "Thirty years is a long time to be with someone."

"It is." AJ agreed, "And it's been the craziest thirty years ever." She said as Thea nodded, "You look like you need a coffee." She smiled to her daughter.

"Thought you'd never ask." Thea groaned as AJ smiled, getting up from the couch, brushing her hand through Thea's hair motherly as she headed on through to the kitchen to make them a coffee.

* * *

"I have one more essay to do and then I'm finished for Christmas." Jude said, sitting in a cocktail bar with Kirsty that night, enjoying wine and bar snacks, as well as all the wonderful Christmas decorations outside in the street and in the bar.

"I have two." Kirsty groaned, "I should have started the second one last week but my entire family were over." She said.

"Are they gone now? Do I have my bed back?" Jude chuckled.

"Yeah they left last night." Kirsty nodded, "Hey, you know I could have gotten them a hotel-"

"I'm just teasing." Jude chuckled, "Probably worked out best anyway since I was staying with my sister to help her."

"How is she?" Kirsty asked.

"She's… ok, I guess." Jude said, "Frustrated more than ever. She's a super stubborn person who likes to do everything on her own so… this is just a nightmare for her."

"She'll make a speedy recovery, I'm sure." Kirsty said.

"Yeah, well she's already came on leaps and bounds from when she was in hospital." Jude nodded, "It's just gonna take time." She said as Kirsty nodded, "Did you get those pictures developed from the other day?"

"Yeah, I took them back to our apartment." Kirsty nodded, "Yours printed kinda weird, though you might wanna look at it." She said.

"Yeah, I can never work that darkroom properly." Jude groaned as Kirsty chuckled, "What are you doing for Christmas? You going home?"

"No, I don't think so." Kirsty said, "My folks came to see me last week because they're going to one of my cousins who lives in Canada for Christmas. So they gave me my gifts then and… I guess I'll just watch Christmas movies on the couch this Christmas."

"Hey, you should come to my parents for Christmas, they'd love to have you." Jude nodded.

"A day of drinking wine, eating turkey and staring at your dad… count me in." Kirsty smirked.

"I genuinely hate you." Jude shook her head as Kirsty chuckled.

"Will you be seeing Sean's family this Christmas?" Kirsty wiggled her eyebrows.

"I don't think so. I think he'll go to his family and I'll go to mine, and then maybe we'll see each other later on." Jude nodded, "The other night he was talking about going to one of those log cabins for the weekend."

"Oh." Kirsty raised her eyebrows, "Sounds fun."

"Yeah, I was… I was kinda surprised actually." Jude nodded.

"By what?" Kirsty asked.

"Just him moving the relationship along so fast." Jude said, "I'm not… I'm not complaining. He just… he has this guard up, right?" She said as Kirsty nodded, "I just… I feel like we're always talking about me and nothing about him."

"So ask him about him." Kirsty shrugged.

"Well I do but he always finds a way to divert it." Jude huffed, "I just wish he was just a little more… open with me, that's all." She said.

"So if you go on this weekend getaway with him, maybe that's a good opportunity to get to know him more. I mean, you've only been dating a few months remember." Kirsty said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I know. And I don't wanna be too pushy and scare him off with questions." Jude said.

"Maybe he just needs to get a little more comfortable. People are different when it comes to sharing things." Kirsty said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." Jude nodded, "Ok, the seal is opened and I need to pee. Get another bottle." She said, hopping down from the bar stool, picking her purse up and walking down the bar, just as she bumped into someone, "Oh, sorry." Jude shook her head, looking up, "Oh, hi Jeremy." She nodded.

"Hey Jude." Jeremy, a boy from their class smiled pleasantly. He was a handsome guy, tall, dark hair, a little edgy smile. She always caught him staring but she never thought anything of it. She never took much notice at all.

"I didn't know you came to places like this." Jude said, not knowing what else to say as he looked at her a little awkwardly, almost intently staring.

"No… not usually. On a date." He explained.

"Oh, nice." Jude smiled as he nodded, smiling to her, not budging out of the way, "I uh… I was just on my way to the bathroom." She pointed, "Can I squeeze by?" She smiled politely.

"Oh, sure-" Jeremy paused as she brushed up against him, not intentionally, trying to get by him as he smiled a little.

"I'll see you late." Jude said, walking on down the rest of the bar to reach the restroom as Jeremy smiled, his eyes never leaving her as she disappeared into the bathroom. He then turned around and left the bar, not really being there for a date.


	43. Stalked

**Stalked**

* * *

"You ok?" Dominic asked, helping Thea out of the car slowly as she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Thea said, stepping onto the ground slowly.

"You didn't have to come with me." Dominic said, "This is too much for you right now."

"No, I have to be there for you. I'm fine." Thea shook her head stubbornly as he closed the car door for her, taking her hand, "Just… walk slowly with me." She sighed, leaning into his arm sweetly as he kissed her head.

"Do you not trust me to go on my own?" Dominic wondered as Thea lifted her head from his arm.

"Of course I trust you. That's not why I'm coming." She made clear as he nodded, "I just want to be there for you." She said.

"I know but you're super injured. It's not like you've got the sniffles. You were shot-"

"I'm aware." Thea said, "I am gonna do what I'm gonna do, and you know that, so stop going on about it, ok?" She said, in typical Thea fashion as Dominic smiled and nodded. He'd known her for long enough to know that she was very stubborn, and most often than not, only listened to herself. She had determination for sure.

"Ok." Dominic nodded, walking towards the town hall, opening up the door for her as she walked in first, taking a slow step at a time.

"What do you think Tyler will say?" Dominic asked.

"Not you two again, probably." Thea nodded. She knew she wouldn't have been able to rest knowing Dominic was coming here himself. She wanted to be there with him for all of this, no matter how long it took to help get back on the right track.

They walked on into the meeting which hadn't begun yet, walking through the doors and watching as Tyler, the man in charge of the AA meetings, looked over to them with a sad expression.

"The look of disappointment." Dominic whispered to Thea who smiled a little. The good thing was, they didn't take themselves too seriously, and neither did the meeting. It was very well constructed and very helpful, having been running since they both first meet many years ago.

"Oh, Thea." Tyler sighed, walking over. He took one look at Thea, noticing how weak and sick she looked, only assuming it was her who had relapsed, "Oh, baby we're gonna fix you right up-"

"It's not me this time, Tyler." Thea nodded discreetly as Tyler turned to Dominic who nodded.

"Oh, dear." Tyler sighed, rubbing both their arms, "Ok, come in and get yourself a coffee and a seat." He nodded to them both sweetly.

* * *

"You are the cutest little baby ever. You are." Jude smiled, kneeling down on her parent's living room floor, playing with her nephew who was on his mat. AJ and Punk were babysitting James for Thea and Dominic, so they could go to the meeting together.

"I don't mind when you pull on my hair, it's ok, I forgive you." Jude smiled, feeling James pulling on her long dark hair.

"Jude are you staying for dinner?" Punk asked, walking into the living room, "How long have you been down there playing with him?" He laughed.

"Literally an hour. I just can't help it, he's so cute I want to cry." Jude sighed as Punk chuckled, "Is there enough for me to stay for dinner?" She looked up at Punk.

"Of course there is. We're doing tacos." Punk said.

"Oh, yeah. I'll stay for that." Jude smiled, "And I'll stay to play some more with this little munchkin." She said as Punk smiled, sitting down on the couch, "Don't you think he looks like Thea?" She asked her dad.

"Yeah, he does." Punk nodded, "But he's also kinda like Dominic too." He said.

"Look at all this fuzzy hair." Jude smiled, spiking James' little strands of hair up as Punk chuckled, "Now you're a little rocker baby. Can you throw up the horns?" She asked, playing with his hands as Punk smiled.

"Don't teach him that, Thea will kill you." Punk chuckled as Jude smiled.

"I hope Dominic is ok." Jude sighed, crossing her legs in a basket, "And Thea."

"They'll get through it." Punk nodded confidently. He knew his daughter and son-in-law. He always fondly told them they were chaotically responsible. He knew it had been a difficult time for them, for all of them, but the hard part of admitting was out in the open.

"All we can do support them, I guess." Jude nodded with a deep breath, "I'm just… I'm wishing for a good Christmas this year. I feel like we all really need it." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I agree." Punk said, "Will Sean be coming for dinner?"

"I uh… I don't think so. He might stop by later on but it'll probably just be me for dinner." Jude nodded, "He was actually talking about going away for the weekend after Christmas." She said as Punk nodded.

"You don't seem… thrilled about that." Punk noticed.

"No, I am." Jude assured him, "I'd love to." She said, "But… I don't know, he's… he's really guarded. I don't know if it's a cop thing or what but… I feel like I barely know him."

"Well you have only been dating him for a few months." Punk said, "I'm sure it's normal to feel like that."

"No, it's not like that. I know him I just… he doesn't really open up." Jude shrugged, "I don't know, maybe I'm being paranoid and looking for things that aren't there." She said, "I just… I want to know he's comfortable with me and that he can tell me anything. Right now it kinda feels like he's holding back." She said.

"Sometimes that's just how people are." Punk said, "We're all different. We all share different things with different people at… at different times. I don't think it has to do with how comfortable he is with you." He said, "I mean there was a lot of stuff that I never told your mom until we were a year into dating." He said, "That's what a relationship is."

"Well truth is I've… I've never been in an relationship that has lasted this long." She said, "Which I know is super embarrassing-"

"No, it's not. Just means that this guy might be… special." Punk assured her.

"You secretly like him, don't you?" Jude smiled.

"He's… he's ok." Punk said as Jude chuckled, "Just… try not think too much into it. I'm sure he'll open up when he's ready."

"Yeah, I know." Jude nodded, "The good thing is I finally got my apartment back. Kirsty's family have gone." She said, "Oh and I sort of invited Kirsty around for Christmas dinner. She's not got plans this year."

"More the merrier." Punk nodded.

"And guess what Auntie Jude bought you for Christmas day?" Jude smiled, leaning over James and holding both hands, clapping them together gently, "She got you a little suit and waistcoat."

"You're too much." Punk chuckled.

"Hey, it is the cutest thing ever and I demand Thea has him wear it." Jude said, "He's gonna look so handsome." She said in a funny voice as she played with James.

It was infectious to see just how many hearts James had stolen in the family, especially all the girls. It was hard not to watch him smiling with his aunts and not a crack a smile of his own.

"He's gonna be a little heartbreaker." Punk nodded.

"Oh, for sure." Jude chuckled.

* * *

"Mom, that was so good, thank you." Jude smiled, lying on the chair in the living room, her legs dangling off the arm of the chair as her parents came into the living room.

"That's ok, sweetie." AJ smiled, sitting down on the couch with Punk, "Thea text, they're just out the meeting, said it went well and they're gonna grab something to eat somewhere before they come get James."

"Well there's no rush." Punk nodded.

"So what the hell do you do at an AA meeting?" Cassie asked, sitting over on the other couch. James was in his crib upstairs sleeping after his night feed and change.

"Well you meet other people who are going through the same sort of addiction as you." Punk explained, "And you talk about it with each other. It's like therapy but… a little more specified for addiction." Punk said as Cassie nodded.

"Your Christmas tree looks squint." Jude tilted her head, looking over at the Christmas tree in the corner of the house.

"What? No it doesn't." AJ objected.

"It does from here." Jude said as AJ stood up, walking over to where Jude was sitting and looking at the tree, gasping when she noticed it was indeed squint.

"Phil, oh my God." AJ said as Punk looked at her, "It's got a tilt in it." AJ said as Punk rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure no one will notice." Punk waved his hand.

"I noticed." Jude said.

"Yeah but you're annoying." Punk said as Jude made a face.

"We've had that tree for years. Maybe next year we'll need a new one." AJ said, sitting back down beside Punk.

"It's a Christmas tree." Punk shook his head as she turned to him.

"Don't be a grumpy scrooge." AJ looked at him as he chuckled, leaning in and stealing a kiss from her as she chuckled against it, messing his slicked hair up as he shoved her playfully.

Jude looked over with a smile, only hoping she could find someone to share her life with and have the joy her parents had with each other.

"I better head off." Jude nodded, standing up from the chair, "I got a lot of work to do."

"Honey, when do you finish up for Christmas break?" AJ asked her.

"Well I'm technically already finished, I just have one more essay to do for Monday and then I'm free." She yawned, stretching up, "I better start it tonight." She groaned.

"You sound like you're looking forward to it." Punk chuckled.

"Oh, yeah. Can't wait." Jude nodded, putting her boots on and grabbing her coat, "I'll see myself out." She told them.

"Are you walking? Do you want me to give you a ride home?" Punk asked her.

"No, it's dry. I can just walk it." Jude said, buttoning her coat up, "It's only a ten minute walk."

"Well be careful." AJ said as Jude nodded.

"Thank you for dinner." Jude said, blowing a kiss to her sister and parents before leaving the house.

She began walking on down the path, minding her own business, not aware that she was being followed. That she was being stalked.


	44. Bad Feeling

**Bad Feeling**

* * *

"Why don't you bend over for a change?" AJ nudged Punk, washing her hair in the shower which he was joining her in.

"That's not how this works." Punk chuckled, watching her rinsing the shampoo from her hair, "Plus, you know I got a bad back." He insisted.

"Is the excuse to all the things I ask you to do." AJ tutted.

"Well you'd be surprised how much you need a fully functioning back for some things." Punk scoffed.

"It seems to work just fine when you want it to." She gave him a grin.

"Well with a little bit of convincing." Punk smiled as she nodded, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, leaning up and kissing him passionately.

They did get a lot more time alone than they did a few years ago when all three girls still lived in the house. It was nice to get the consistent and constant playfulness back again, not that it ever really left them.

AJ pulled back from the kiss, smirking before turning around, placing her hands on the shower doors and leaning over a little as he smiled, lifting her leg up and sliding inside of her.

"Fuck." Punk moaned, thrusting into her as she moaned with pleasure and satisfaction, her hands running down the wet shower doors.

"Yes, baby." AJ moaned, pushing her wet hair back out of her face as he thrusted into her from behind.

Meanwhile Thea had walked in the door to the house with baby James in his carrier over her arm. Dominic had dropped her off on his way to work. She thought since she was feeling a little better, she would come visit her parents.

"Hey." Thea said, not too loudly as she walked into the living room slowly, "Maybe they're in the kitchen." She nodded, looking down at James in his carrier.

She made her way through to the kitchen, noticing it was empty and sitting James' carrier on the table, "They must be upstairs." She said to herself, taking her coat off slowly and carefully.

Although still in a great deal of pain, using strong medication to combat that, she was actually feeling improvement in her movement every day. She'd spoken to a physiotherapist a few days ago who was now giving her exercises to do to strengthen herself back up again. For the first time, small steps were starting to feel like big ones, and it meant she could focus more on Dominic too, and helping him through his relapse.

She left the kitchen, knowing James would be safe there, walking towards the stairs and looking up, "Mom!" Thea called, not hearing any response.

She then began climbing the stairs slowly, taking one step at a time, eventually reaching the top and making her way towards her parents' bedroom, beginning to hear the shower on.

"Mom." Thea called, opening up their bedroom door, "Dad."

"Oh my God." AJ immediately pulled away from Punk in the shower, almost slipping whilst Punk turned the shower off.

"Who the hell is that?" Punk shook his head as AJ got out of the shower.

"You'll have to finish yourself off." AJ told him.

"Are you kidding?" Punk shook his head, watching her jump out the shower, grabbing a towel, "April-" Punk said quietly as she left the bathroom.

"Hey." AJ walked out of the bathroom with a towel around her, "I was just taking a shower. I didn't know you were coming." She laughed a little as Thea looked at her.

"Well… I thought I would come by for some breakfast. James too." Thea explained, "Where is dad?" She questioned. She knew he had to be in the house, because the car was outside.

"Uh he… he's just out." AJ nodded, suddenly listening to some things falling in the shower.

"Ew." Thea realised what was going on, "God, get a do not disturb on your door or something." She groaned as AJ went red, "Sorry I interrupted." She shook her head, wandering back out of the room and closing the door over as AJ groaned.

AJ went back into the bathroom where she saw Punk waiting in the shower.

"What are you waiting on?" AJ shook her head.

"What do you think?" Punk asked.

"Hell no. Thea and James are downstairs-"

"We used to do it all the time when Thea and Jude were asleep in the next rooms. Don't pull that one on me." Punk said, "Finishing myself makes me sad." He pouted as AJ rolled her eyes, turning to a smile and chuckle.

"Fine, but quickly." AJ stepped back into the shower as he smiled.

* * *

"Good morning." Punk nodded, walking into the kitchen some time later after getting out of the shower and ready, noticing Thea had already helped herself to breakfast, holding James on her knee.

"Morning." Thea raised a brow, "Sorry I got too hungry waiting." She said.

"We'll forgive you." Punk said, "We didn't know you were coming over."

"Well clearly." Thea scoffed.

"Your mom is just finishing off drying her hair." Punk said, pouring himself some coffee which Thea had already made, "How you feeling? You shouldn't have come all the way over here." He said, sitting down at the table.

"I'm actually feeling not too bad. It's been getting a little easier these past few days." Thea said, "I got some exercises to do from the physio, I think they've been helping. Stairs aren't so challenging anymore and I can… I can lift this little guy a lot better." She nodded.

"You… You even look a lot better." Punk noticed. He could tell her energy was different. She looked happier, if that made sense.

"I'm sleeping better too." Thea nodded.

"Well good, all these things will make a difference." Punk said as she nodded, "How's Dominic's meetings been going?" He asked her.

"Ok." Thea said, "I mean he hates going but… he knows it's gonna help him. He's not had a drink in over a week, since the night I caught him, so… it's going as well as it can." She said, "I've been trying to take his mind off it. We've already binged so much TV shows."

"Welcome to my world." Punk chuckled as Thea smiled, "Hey, that's all you can really do, just be there for him if he needs to talk or even if he doesn't, just being there helps." He said as Thea nodded, "And how is this little guy?" He asked, smiling at James in Thea's arms, appearing to be munching on his fist.

"This little guy is now teething." Thea frowned, "He's been having a few rough nights with it. He was just biting on Dominic's hand this morning too." She sighed, "Poor little guy."

"Oh, that's rough." Punk frowned, "You can get this gel stuff at the store, put it on his gums. Oh and if you've got any small toys that he bites, put it in the fridge and then give him it. It'll help."

"Oh, I never… I never thought of that." Thea said, "Where'd you learn that trick?" She questioned.

"Where do you think?" Punk asked as Thea nodded.

"Thought that sounded like a mom trick. Too smart to be you." Thea nodded.

"Hey." Punk said, offended as Thea chuckled, "Jude teethed really bad. I remember she used to just full on bite me. And when she started crawling she literally would bite your ankles." He nodded as Thea nodded.

"I'm not surprised." Thea said.

"One day I came home and I went to start making dinner, went into the fridge and saw all of her toys in there." Punk said, "Thought I was tripping."

"Hey." AJ walked into the kitchen, "Who was tripping?" She questioned, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek, as well as her grandson, before going over to pour herself some coffee.

"Me when I came home one day and saw Jude's toys in our fridge." Punk explained.

"Oh." AJ chuckled.

"I was just telling dad that James is starting to teethe." Thea said.

"Oh, poor thing." AJ frowned, looking over at James who was now playing with Thea's hand, putting his little mouth around it, "Yeah, Jude as definitely the worst teether out of all three." AJ confirmed.

"Jude was always the worst at everything." Thea scoffed, "Didn't she always get ear infections?"

"Oh, yeah. She did." AJ nodded, "Poor little thing, we used to take her to the hospital all the time with it."

* * *

"_How long have we been waiting here?" AJ shook her head, sitting in the hospital waiting room with her husband who had their three year old daughter curled into him, sitting on his lap in discomfort._

"_It's been five hours." Punk sighed tiredly. They had the basic of healthcare there was, which meant they couldn't get seen to right away, which meant more time spent sitting with their unwell daughter, who was very prone to ear infections._

"_This is the fourth time this year." AJ said, "Surely there's something they can do." She shook her head, stroking Jude's head softly to try and soothe her whilst she lay curled in Punk's arms._

_They'd woken up through the night with her screaming and crying in pain. They dropped Thea off at Dean's on the way to the hospital in hopes they could get some quick anti-biotics for Jude._

"_How's the pain, baby?" Punk whispered quietly, looking at Jude curled into him as she refused to speak. The other tough thing was, Jude hated hospitals and she hated doctors. They believed it was because it reminded her of the pain of her infections all the time._

"_Sweetie, how is it feeling?" AJ asked, "Is it feeling a little better?" She wondered._

"_No." Jude sobbed, holding her sore ear._

"_Ok, baby." AJ sighed, caressing her head sweetly._

"_We'll get some medicine for it soon." Punk assured her, "And it'll get all better." He nodded. _

"_Some kids are just prone to ear infections." AJ nodded, "I read about it." She said as Punk nodded._

"_Seems so unfair." He frowned. Seeing either of his children unwell was sad enough, but seeing Jude having constant bother with her ears, watching how much it drained her physically and emotionally. He couldn't bare it._

"_It is." AJ agreed, playing with Jude's hair softly. It looked like they were in for another long night._

* * *

Later that night, Jude was leaving her apartment, heading out to meet Sean at the police station where she was meeting him to then go for dinner.

She knew her town well enough to know certain places to avoid walking through at night time. Or more so, certain places her mother and father warned her not to walk through at night on her own. But she was familiar with her hometown and the people in it, and refused to be frightened off walking on her own to meet her boyfriend.

She was making her way through the busy streets as it was Saturday night after a pay weekend, which meant everyone was out.

Getting halfway towards her destination, she couldn't help feel like there was a presence behind her, following her. She didn't know if it was just her paranoia, as every time she turned around, no one was there, but she still felt it and didn't enjoy it one bit.

She even stopped and took her phone out for a second, just to look around the streets for precaution. She couldn't describe the feeling, and she certainly couldn't see anyone following her, but she just felt it around her.

She continued walking down the street, finally reaching the police station, pausing and turning around when she saw a guy walking in the opposite direction with his hood up. She shook her head, shaking the idea out of her mind and walking into the police station.

"Hey." Sean noticed her with a smile.

"Hi." Jude smiled, leaning up and kissing him hello as he looked at her.

"You ok?" Sean asked, noticing she looked a little on edge, "What's up?"

"Nothing." Jude assured him, "Nothing, I'm just… glad to see you." She smiled sweetly.

"Yeah I'm glad to see you after the horror of today." Sean shook his head, "I dealt with my first reported rape."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Jude frowned with distress, "Are you ok? We… We don't have to go out.."

"I'm ok. Honestly, I just need something to take my mind off it." Sean nodded, "Let me just grab my jacket and I'll be good to go." He said as Jude nodded.

"Ok." She smiled, watching him walk off as she turned back to the police station door, looking out the windows into the dark night.


	45. Open

**Open**

* * *

"So was this… rape report close by?" Jude asked, sitting in a Mexican restaurant with Sean later on after they left the station. The bad feeling had lifted from her, that feeling like she was being watched. She wasn't sure if it was because she wasn't alone anymore, but she was glad it was gone. She convinced herself she was just being paranoid in the dark streets.

"I… I shouldn't really talk about it." Sean sighed, looking across at her, almost with worry.

"Why are you looking at me like that, though?" Jude asked, "Have I got something on my face?" She chuckled a little.

"No I just…" He paused as Jude looked at him.

"What is it?" Jude shook her head.

"The girl that… reported it. She studies at the art institute." Sean noted as Jude raised her eyebrows.

"Oh my God." Jude shook her head.

"Yeah and then I talked to one of the other cops in the station and he said there's been more sexual assault reports from girls in the institute, all happened this year." Sean said, "Did you know anything about it?"

"I had no idea." Jude shook her head, "Oh my God, that's terrible." She said with worry.

"Yeah, my stomach dropped when I heard she studied there. Just… thought about you, you know." He sighed as Jude nodded.

"Hey, I'll… I'll be ok." Jude assured him, "I'm always with someone." She nodded, "Do you have any idea who it is? Any sort of leads?"

"No, nothing. The guy was wearing a black hooded mask so… she didn't see his face." Sean said, "I swear it makes me so angry." He shook his head, "It's one thing being attacked but being attacked in that way…" He shook his head, running his hands over his face, "You just can't imagine it."

"It's so awful. No one deserves that." Jude shook her head, "I haven't even heard anything about it. I guess I keep to myself. I got a couple friends but… maybe I need to pay more attention." She thought to herself.

"You shouldn't have to worry about if someone's gonna hurt you like that, though. It's fucking bullshit." Sean said angrily, still slightly riled up from his days work, especially with the connotations it had to his girlfriend.

"Did it happen in the institute?" Jude asked.

"No it happened outside, in a street." Sean shook his head.

"It's scary what people are capable of." Jude shook her head.

"Animals more like." Sean corrected as Jude nodded, "I'm sorry, this dinner has been super depressing."

"No, you've had a tough day and… you can talk to me about it." Jude assured him as he smiled gratefully.

* * *

"Kirsty, you home?" Jude walked into her apartment later on that night after Sean dropped her off after dinner.

"In here." Kirsty called from the kitchen as Jude put her purse down, taking her coat off and walking into the kitchen where Kirsty was sat at the table, on her laptop, eating from a tub of ice-cream.

"I see you've had a productive night." Jude noticed.

"I have actually. Finished my essay, finally." Kirsty said.

"Which was due last night." Jude nodded.

"Ten percent off my mark? Like I care." Kirsty said, "We're art students. I didn't sign up for essays."

"Part of the education, sister." Jude said, walking over to the fridge to grab a drink out.

"Did you hear about Chelsea Graham?" Kirsty asked with a change of tone.

"What about her?" Jude asked, not even thinking.

"She was… raped last night." Kirsty said seriously as Jude raised her eyebrows.

"It was Chelsea?" Jude gasped, shutting the fridge over.

"Wait… you knew?" Kirsty asked.

"Sean… was talking to me about it." Jude nodded, "I can't believe it was her." She shook her head. It wasn't someone they were best friends with, but the girl was in their classes, and they spoke on occasion.

"Happened outside a club apparently, but I… I hate the gossip over it. It's no one's fucking business." Kirsty shook her head, "I just hope she's ok."

"Well she's probably not." Jude assumed, "Listen to this, when Sean talked to other cops about it, they said there had been other reports of sexual harassment and assault from girls in the institute this year." She said.

"Seriously?" Kirsty questioned.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "Terrifying, right?"

"Yeah." Kirsty nodded, "You think it's a guy who studies there too?"

"I have no idea." Jude said, "How did you find out?"

"Chelsea's roommate apparently found her after it… happened, then contacted some of her friends because her mom is out of town. I guess… the word travelled." Kirsty said.

"Poor Chelsea." Jude sighed, sitting down at the table.

"Did Sean say anything about who it might be? Any suspects?" Kirsty asked.

"No, they don't know anything yet." Jude shook her head, "Should we go visit her or… send her something? I know we didn't really talk to her but… it's not like we're strangers." Jude said.

"I'd give it a couple days." Kirsty said as Jude nodded, "God, there are so many evil people out there." She shook her head angrily as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Jude sighed, "How you getting on with your essay?" Jude asked her.

"Halfway there." Kirsty nodded, eating some more of her ice-cream, "Hey, did you make sure it was ok with your parents that I come for Christmas dinner?"

"Yeah, they're fine with it obviously." Jude nodded, "I think I'm gonna go for a bath and have an early night." She said as Kirsty nodded, "I promised Thea I would go shopping with her tomorrow. It's her first time being out properly since she got shot."

"Is she ready for that?" Kirsty asked.

"It's Thea. Of course she is." Jude said as Kirsty smiled.

"Enjoy your bath." Kirsty said as Jude nodded, leaving the kitchen and heading into her room to prepare for her bath.

* * *

"Stop hogging the chips." AJ demanded, sitting on the couch with Punk, taking the bag of chips from him and digging in, "You're gonna leave me with all the broken crumbs." She huffed as Punk rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you'll survive." Punk shook his head, "What is this nonsense we're watching?"

"General Hospital." AJ nodded.

"April." Punk huffed, "Are you trying to torture me?"

"Yes." AJ said, "Hey, this comforted me when you weren't here. This… got me through some rough nights I'll have you know." She said.

"Well I'm here now so… maybe you don't have to watch it aymore." He hoped.

"Nice try." She scoffed as Punk shook his head.

"I'm worried about Thea, you know." He said, folding his arms, "I think it's too soon for her to be… going out shopping. I'm glad she's been doing good these past few days but she's gonna overdo it."

"Thea knows her boundaries, I'm sure she'll be just fine." AJ hummed, "Jude is going with her anyway so if it's too much, they'll go home." She said.

"I still don't like it." Punk said, "Do we have all the Christmas presents we need for everyone?" He asked her.

"More or less." AJ nodded, "Are we supposed to get Sean something?" She asked.

"I don't think we have to but… maybe it'd be nice." Punk shrugged.

"Since when do you like doing nice things? Especially for your daughter's boyfriend?" AJ scoffed.

"I'll have you know I am a terrific father-in-law once you get to know me." Punk nodded as AJ shook her head, "I am."

"Yeah once Jude and Thea yell at you to quit behaving like a child." AJ smiled as Punk huffed, like a child ironically.

"I think she's a little frustrated." Punk said.

"Who?" AJ turned to her.

"Jude." Punk said, "With Sean. Not in like a bad way or anything but… I don't think he's a talker, if you know what I mean. She wants him to open up more."

"Maybe he's got nothing to open up about. Not everyone's lives are as dysfunctional as ours." AJ reminded him.

"That is true." Punk agreed, "I think it's more than that, though."

"Some people just take time. It's not natural for some people to open up." AJ said, "I mean… there's some things I didn't learn about you until we were older." She said.

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Punk questioned.

"I… I didn't know you had never met your dad until years into dating you. I always thought you'd met him and he just walked out-"

"Well technically he did walk out but… I was one and Dean was still in the womb so…" Punk shrugged, "I thought I was always pretty open with you."

"You were but… I mean some things you just learn as you go, right?" AJ shrugged, "Maybe Jude is just being paranoid."

"Yeah well she did say this was the longest she'd been in a relationship for." Punk said.

"It is?" AJ questioned as Punk nodded, "Bless her, I think she's just scared that it might go wrong, which is understandable given her previous relationships."

"I wouldn't exactly call them relationships." Punk shook his head.

"Was I open with you from the start?" AJ wondered.

"Yeah, couldn't get you to shut up." Punk teased as AJ turned to him, "Kidding." He smiled as she shook her head and chuckled, "No, actually you were pretty closed off for a while. You made me work for a lot of things." He said as AJ smiled, "Oddly enough that hasn't changed."

"And it never will, baby. Don't you forget it." She nudged him as he smiled.

"I'm sure you'll make sure I won't." Punk chuckled, "I think our circumstances were different anyway. It's like we were living parallel lives."

"Yeah, I guess it was." AJ nodded to herself as Punk smiled.

"If you had to go back to the start and do it all again… is there anything you would change?" He asked her as she thought to herself.

"I wouldn't change a thing besides… finding a way to not lose you for eight years." She said, "Obviously."

"What about the first time I was in prison? You leaving my ass there?" Punk teased.

"Yeah." AJ nodded seriously as he looked at her, "You and I both know that you learned a lot in that year, and so did I." She said as Punk nodded in agreement, knowing that to be true.

"Yeah, you're right." Punk said, "But… I did miss Thea being born."

"Yeah, I would have liked you there for that." AJ nodded, "And for Cassie." She said, looking over at the TV as Punk watched her.

"I know things like that don't get easier and they still stay with you. I know they stay with me. I feel like I… I didn't even know Cassie as a kid." He admitted as AJ nodded.

"I guess it's things we just have to accept. Past is the past." AJ nodded.

"Yeah." Punk agreed, "We've made some good memories since I got out." He said as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, of course we have." AJ smiled, curling into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "Phil." She whined.

"What?" He shook his head with confusion, looking down at her.

"I missed the end." She pointed to the TV as Punk smirked deviously, "Was that your plan?" She questioned, "You evil, evil man." She pushed him over as he fell on his side on the couch and chuckled, "Jerk."

"You love me." Punk sat back up.

"No, stay down." She pushed him back over as he chuckled. She couldn't help smile either.


	46. Shopping

**Shopping**

* * *

"Look at this little sailor outfit." Jude gasped, picking the small outfit from the rack in a clothes shop, "You have to get this for him."

"Why do you hate my son?" Thea shook her head.

"What? This is so cute." Jude objected.

"You're already making me put him in a shirt and waistcoat on Christmas Day." Thea scoffed, pushing the stroller where James was sleeping in whilst they browsed around the shops in the mall.

"If I had a baby I'd have a field day with dressing them." Jude said.

"God, your kids are gonna get bullied, aren't they?" Thea shook her head as Jude chuckled.

"Don't be nasty." Jude chuckled as they left the shop and walked down the mall, "How you feeling?"

"Good and bad." Thea nodded, "Good because I'm capable of actually doing this. Compared to where I was a month ago." She said, "Bad because it's still painful." She admitted.

"Well don't overdo it." Jude shook her head, "Why don't we stop for a coffee?" She nodded, "There's a shop right there."

"Yeah, ok." Thea nodded, heading into the shop, grabbing a seat whilst Jude went to get them a coffee.

"How you doing, buddy?" Thea looked into the stroller where James was lying sleeping, "You're a little angel, aren't you?" She smiled, stroking his cheek softly before sitting down at the table.

"Seasonal drinks are literally my favourite thing." Jude said, walking over with the coffees.

"Yeah but they're so diabetic." Thea shook her head.

"You're a doctor, you have to say that." Jude scoffed, sitting down at the table.

"Hey I still drink them." Thea chuckled.

"So is Dominic at work today?" Jude asked her.

"Yeah." Thea nodded.

"How is he doing?" Jude asked, "Are the meetings going ok?"

"Ok as they can be, I guess." Thea said, "I think he's definitely doing better than he was. The first couple days were rough but… he knows he's gotta push through it."

"Soon it'll stop being a problem and he'll feel better, I guess." Jude nodded.

"Yeah well addiction doesn't fully go away." Thea reminded her.

"You know what I mean." Jude raised a brow as Thea made a face at her sisterly.

"You finished college for Christmas now?" Thea asked, scooping some of the whipped cream from her drink up.

"Yeah, that's me finished." Jude nodded, "Kinda glad." She said wearily.

"I bet. I hated college." Thea shook her head.

"Well… a girl in my class was raped a few nights ago." Jude said as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"Oh my God." Thea shook her head, "Do you know her?"

"I mean… yeah, she's in my class. We're not best friends but still." Jude said, "Sean was dealing with it and he said that there's actually been a number of sexual harassment complaints filed from girls, all of them who go to the institute." She said.

"Seriously?" Thea asked as Jude nodded, "And do they know who it is? Is it someone who goes there too?"

"They don't know who. They're working on it." Jude said, "It's scary, right?"

"Yeah, no kidding." Thea shook her head, "You need to be careful." She said seriously.

"Sean is worried about me going. Said he would start taking me to and from when I go back after Christmas." Jude said.

"Can't blame him for worrying." Thea said, "But I'm sure by then it'll have dyed down. Just… keep your wits about you." She nodded.

"It's just scary when you hear it happen to someone you know." Jude said.

"Makes it more real." Thea agreed, "There's some sick fucks out there, that's for sure."

"Speaking of." Jude said, "Have you heard anything about Rio?"

"No, I deliberately asked dad not to tell me about anything. I don't really wanna hear that man's name." Thea said as Jude nodded, "I know he's in prison, that's enough. Now I wanna move on with my life."

"He's a lunatic just like his son." Jude nodded, "They're both where they belong."

"Hey, what have you got for mom and dad for Christmas?" Thea asked, changing the subject deliberately.

"I got mom some books that I know she'll like. Earrings. Pyjamas. Perfume-"

"Ugh… this is why they prefer you." Thea scoffed as Jude smirked, "And dad?"

"I got him this ugly Christmas sweater with pumpkins and skeletons on them." Jude said, "He was talking about another tattoo so I got him a voucher for it-"

"Jude!" Thea yelled as some people turned around in the coffee shop.

"What?" Jude asked, embarrassed.

"I told you I was getting him that." Thea said angrily.

"No you didn't." Jude shook her head.

"Yes I did. The tattoo is literally for James. I said I would get him it to you when you were staying over. You totally took my idea." Thea said.

"I swear I didn't hear you." Jude said.

"You suck." Thea said grumpily as Jude chuckled, "I have nothing for anyone." She shook her head, "I'm so behind."

"Well you've been a little preoccupied. I wouldn't worry about it." Jude said, "I feel like a good Christmas is what we need after the past few months."

"Yeah, I agree." Thea said, "And it's James' first Christmas." She smiled happily.

"I have him so many cute things for him." Jude clapped excitedly as Thea smiled.

"So do mom and dad apparently. This kid is gonna grow up a little brat with how spoiled he is." Thea scoffed.

"Nothing wrong with some good family loving." Jude said as Thea smiled.

"Yeah, you're right." Thea nodded, watching someone walking by their table, accidently pushing her purse off of the stroller handle.

"Oh, sorry…" The guy turned around as Jude noticed him.

"Jeremy?" Jude shook her head.

"Oh, hi Jude." Jeremy noticed, picking up Thea's purse and handing it to her as Thea took it and watched, "How are you?" He smiled.

"I'm ok." Jude smiled.

"Christmas shopping?" He smiled as Thea looked at him closely, as if scanning him.

"Yeah but we gave up pretty quickly." Jude chuckled, "You?"

"Yeah, trying to get something for my mom." Jeremy said as Jude smiled, "Just glad the pressure of deadlines aren't weighing me down."

"Tell me about it." Jude smiled as Thea took a sip of her drink.

"Well I'll see you around, have a good Christmas." Jeremy smiled.

"You too." Jude smiled, watching as he walked away, turning around to Thea who was looking at her funnily, "What?"

"Have you slept with him before?" Thea questioned.

"What?" Jude chuckled, "No. Why would you think that?"

"He seems weird, I don't know." Thea said.

"I mean… he is a little weird but… he's harmless." Jude shrugged, "He's in my class."

"You're way too nice to people." Thea shook her head.

"No I'm just not rude like you." Jude said.

"I'm not rude. I'm a very pleasant person." Thea nodded.

"Yeah, right." Jude nodded, "When do you think you'll be back at work?"

"Probably after Christmas at this rate." Thea said, "I can barely go shopping never mind a full twelve hour shift at the ER." She shook her head as Jude nodded.

"You definitely don't wanna rush into anything." Jude nodded, listening as James began to cry from in his stroller, "Hey, buddy." Jude stood up, looking in the stroller, lifting James out and holding him in her arms as she sat back down, "What's up?" She smiled, kissing his little hand as Thea smiled.

"I can't believe he's almost five months old. It's insane." Thea shook her head.

"I love his hair." Jude pouted, playing with James' fuzzy dark hair.

"Dominic always spikes it up." Thea smiled, "You know I saw some baby pictures of me the other day, mom left some out for me, and he actually does look like me a little." She said.

"I said from day one he looked like you." Jude said, "It's so funny seeing dad with him. He's loving not having the added pressure of another female." She said as Thea smiled.

"I still worry about him." Thea admitted.

"Dad?" Jude questioned as Thea nodded.

"Yeah. If he's still having those panic attacks. Especially with Rio coming back and… everything that happened. I just… I hope he's ok." Thea nodded.

"Come on, it's easy to spot when dad isn't himself. He goes all… quiet and weird." Jude said, "He's doing ok. Plus, you know he always talks to mom." Jude nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know." Thea said, "I'm glad they have each other." She nodded, "I mean… could you imagine if mom went through with the divorce all those years ago and they just… broke up."

"No, because they would have wound up back together." Jude said, "They're like magnets." She shook her head.

"It's sweet." Thea smiled, "Now I'm older, I can appreciate it a lot more." She nodded, "He's fell back asleep." She noticed James sleeping in Jude's arms as Jude looked down and smiled.

"He's just too cute, I can't handle it." Jude shook her head as Thea smiled, "Please can we go back and get that little sailor outfit." She pouted.

"Oh my God, no." Thea laughed, "You're not torturing my son like that."

"But it's so cute, he could be a little sailor man." Jude frowned.

"Absolutely not." Thea shook her head as Jude chuckled to herself, leaving Thea smiling and shaking her head.


	47. Getting Closer

**Getting Closer**

* * *

"Phil, do you ever watch porn?" AJ asked casually, sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine whilst Punk was writing Christmas cards out.

"Excuse me?" Punk looked up, wondering if he had heard right.

"Do you watch porn?" AJ asked him as he shook his head with confusion.

"No of course I don't watch porn. Why are you asking me that?" Punk questioned.

"I'm just reading an article about this woman who found out her husband watched porn and she divorced him." AJ chuckled to herself, amused.

"That's a little much." Punk scoffed, "Where do you stand on the case?" He questioned curiously.

"I'd question it but… I'd give you a pass on the divorce." She said as he nodded.

"Well that's good to know." Punk shook his head, "But you don't gotta worry about any of that."

"I know I don't." AJ smiled cockily.

"Ok, if you divert your attention from the scandalous magazine for a second… am I writing this card to Jude or to… Jude and Sean?" Punk asked her.

"Jude and Sean, obviously." AJ said, "Let me see these cards." She shook her head, sitting the magazine down and looking at the cards, "Phil, they have so many pretty cards this time of year and you manage to pick the ugliest ones." She shook her head.

"They're not ugly." Punk defended.

"They are." AJ shook her head, "All you're in charge of is cards. That's literally it."

"Yeah and these are some nice cards." Punk defended fiercely, "Look, bears with their hats and scarves on. Snowmen playing soccer on one for Cassie." He said, "I am excellent card picker."

"I disagree. I would have found better ones." AJ said, picking her magazine back up.

"Well how about next year you pick them then, and let me be in charge of wrapping." Punk negotiated as AJ laughed loudly.

"You? Wrapping?" AJ questioned, "James could do a better job."

"You get mean at Christmas, I don't like it." Punk said, "Leave me and my cards alone." He said childishly as AJ smiled, watching him finish writing the cards out.

"Do we have everything for Christmas day?" AJ asked him.

"I don't know, you don't let me buy anything but Christmas cards." Punk said as AJ chuckled.

"Because I don't trust you." AJ said truthfully, "Last time I left you in charge of buying things for Christmas day you forgot to get the Turkey." She pointed out.

"That was one time." Punk scoffed, "You have to move on from it."

"Never." AJ chuckled to herself as he smiled.

"At least we've got all the presents." Punk said.

"Yeah, I just need to wrap them all." AJ said, "Which could take me a while."

"I bet my presents take the longest to wrap." Punk smirked.

"Who says you have presents?" AJ teased as Punk just smiled.

"I have presents." Punk nodded to himself as AJ chuckled.

* * *

"What do you mean you got a bad vibe from him?" Dominic asked, sitting at the kitchen table with Thea later on at night. James was down in his nursery for the night whilst they had dinner.

"I mean he was looking at her funny. Like he was… staring right through her." Thea shook her head.

"Are you sure you're not thinking too much into it?" Dominic asked her.

"No, honestly." Thea said, "He was… creepy." She shook her head, "Look, I'm the first to admit that I'm a little… confrontational with people-"

"A little?" Dominic smiled.

"Ok, a lot." Thea shrugged, "But I know a creep when I see one." She said, "He was so… fake."

"And what did Jude say?" Dominic asked.

"Well it's Jude. She's disgustingly nice to everyone she knows." Thea shook her head, "She didn't say anything."

"So why are you getting wrapped up in it?" Dominic asked her.

"I don't know, I just… I got a weird vibe from him and he was looking at her weird. She's too gullible to notice." Thea said.

"Or you're just judging people before you even know them." Dominic suggested.

"Wrong." Thea disagreed, "I'm just a very good judge of character." She corrected him, "I just… I didn't like the way he was looking at my sister. That's all I'm saying."

"Did you say that to Jude?" Dominic asked her.

"No. I didn't want to put any worries in her head. I think he's in her class." Thea said, "Come on, don't make it out like I'm insane. You know when you just look at a person and… you just know they're kinda off. Something doesn't feel right?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Dominic understood, "But your sister is old enough to deal with that on her own." He said as Thea tutted, "How did shopping go anyway?"

"It was ok. Apart from Jude wanting to torture our son in horrid outfits." Thea said as Dominic chuckled, "We had to stop after an hour, I was kinda sore." She said.

"Babe, I hope you weren't overdoing it. It's great that you're feeling more able but… just be careful." He said.

"Look I'm still in a ton of pain but if I can just set myself little goals every week, and get to them, I'll be happy. Maybe the shopping was a little… too much, but I did it and I got through it and I actually did have fun. It was good just to be out." She shook her head, "And I did get some things for James for Christmas."

"Yeah, I've been picking stuff up on my way home from work. They're still in the trunk." Dominic said.

"I want his first Christmas to be perfect." Thea nodded, "I think we all deserve a nice Christmas after these last couple months." She said as Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, it'll be good." Dominic nodded.

"How have you been feeling?" Thea asked, "I know you don't like me drawing attention to it but-"

"I'm ok." Dominic said, "Up and down. More up, though." He assured her as she nodded.

"Tyler driving you insane at the meetings yet?" Thea smiled.

"You kidding? One session with him is enough to drive you insane." Dominic said as Thea chuckled.

"He's a good guy." Thea nodded.

"Yeah." Dominic agreed, "I think it gets extra hard at Christmas too. Everyone is out drinking and… partying." He said as Thea nodded, "You just get the itch, I guess."

"Yeah but you're strong enough to fight it. And then soon it won't even be an itch." Thea said, "You're… you're doing amazing."

"You have to say that." Dominic scoffed with a smile.

"Hey, you know I can't lie." Thea smiled as he nodded.

"That's true. You're an awful liar." Dominic nodded as she smiled, standing up and taking their empty plates away as Dominic's eyes followed her, which she noticed and smiled.

"What you staring at?" Thea asked calmly, placing the dishes by the sink.

"You." Dominic nodded truthfully as she turned around, looking over at him.

She walked over to him, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, "Anything you wanna look at in particular?" She smiled as he chuckled, watching as she leaned forward and kissed him sweetly, turning heated as he stood up with her, holding her up as her legs circled around his waist. He made sure not to hurt her side, and alternatively held her by the ass which was fine by both parties.

"You have no idea how much I need this." Thea shook her head as he walked out of the kitchen with her and headed for the stairs.

* * *

"You're going on another date?" Jude shook her head, standing in the living room of her and Kirsty's apartment, "Who with this time?"

"I don't know, some guy who came into my work and gave me his number." Kirsty said, applying some lipstick as she looked into her compact mirror, getting ready to leave.

"Do you know anything about him?" Jude asked.

"No, hence the date." Kirsty laughed.

"Please just… be more careful. Look what happened to Chelsea." Jude said.

"He's coming to pick me up, don't worry. And he's a nice guy. I've done all my stalking on his social media sites. He's a good guy." Kirsty assured her, "Just rest your weary little mind." She nodded as Jude sighed, "Is Sean coming over tonight?"

"No, I wish." Jude sighed, "He's working late again." She said, "But we're spending the full day together tomorrow so it's ok." She said, "He managed to get the day off so we're gonna go to the markets and see the tree." She said.

"Does your adorable mom and dad still put all your names on the tree?" Kirsty asked as Jude smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, they've done it since Thea was born. Even when my dad was gone my mom always took us and put them up. It's like tradition." Jude said.

"It's sweet." Kirsty nodded, "Well I'm glad you're spending the full day together, that'll be nice." She smiled as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I'm gonna go for a shower and get an early night." Jude said.

"You little old lady." Kirsty said, "Is this a night before you're gonna get laid shower?"

"You mean the shower that takes about an hour to shave, wash, exfoliate, moisturise… yeah. That shower." Jude nodded.

"It takes you an hour to shave? Girl…" Kirsty looked at her.

"I'm Puerto Rican." Jude teased as Kirsty scoffed and shook her head.

"Just… tidy the bathroom when you're done." Kirsty nodded.

"Says the queen of mess." Jude shook her head as there was a knock at the door.

"Ok, that's me." Kirsty nodded, running to the door and answering it as Jude looked over, getting a look at her date.

"Have fun." Jude smiled, watching as Kirsty winked to her and left the apartment.

She shook her head and walked into the bathroom, turning the shower on to heat up as she collected the things she needed from her room, including her phone to play music very loud, her favourite part of showering.

She got into the shower, singing loudly whilst washing her hair, taking her time since she was in no rush.

The music was so loud she never heard the apartment door opening, someone walking into the apartment quietly whilst she continued to sing in the shower.

They walked around the apartment, particularly making their way into Jude's bedroom, leisurely taking their time as they looked around the room, opening up drawers, treating everything in the room like it was sacred, like it was gold.

Jude stopped the shower for a second, having forgotten a hair mask she was going to put in her hair, stepping out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her body and running out of the bathroom.

She ran into her bedroom, opening up her drawer and taking the hair mask out, rushing back out and into the bathroom.

The person in the apartment came out from Jude's closet where he'd disappeared into when he heard her coming. As soon as he heard the shower turning back on, he continued to look around the room before walking through the apartment, staying there for around ten minutes until deciding to leave.

When he left the apartment, closing the door over, Jude picked up on it, sticking her hand out of the shower and pausing her music.

She stepped out of the shower, holding the towel around her and walking out of the bathroom.

"Kirsty?" Jude said, looking at the still, quiet and empty apartment.

Feeling eerily quiet, she walked over to the apartment door and locked it, putting the chain on before making her way back into the shower.


	48. Surprise

**Surprise**

* * *

"Who needs alcohol?" Thea smiled, lying in bed later that night with Dominic, a little out of breath as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Right." Dominic chuckled.

"Wouldn't have been able to do that a few weeks ago." Thea smirked, curling into him, draping her leg over his under the sheets as he smiled, kissing her head.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Dominic nodded. It helped his own mood and his own personal struggles when he saw his wife happier and less agitated by her injury. She'd certainly come a long way since the first day she was in hospital, where they weren't even sure if she was going to wake up.

"I know I still have a long way to go." Thea nodded to herself, "But the physiotherapy is actually helping and… I know what I can and can't do now." She said, "Maybe we will get to go see the tree after all." She smiled.

"See, I told you to keep an open mind." Dominic smiled as Thea nodded.

"I just had these horrible images of me not being able to do anything, especially since it's James' first Christmas." Thea said, "I know I'm limited but at least I'm not couch behind like I have been the past few weeks."

"You're on the mend." Dominic smiled.

"I am." Thea said, "Remember last Christmas I told everyone I was pregnant?" She smiled.

"Yeah, cheapest Christmas gift we've ever got your family." Dominic chuckled as Thea smiled, "We didn't even plan that, it just worked out with good timing."

"I thought my mom was going to have a heart attack." Thea chuckled as Dominic nodded, "And then she was trying to tell me that she knew anyway." She scoffed.

"She probably did. Your mom finds out everything." Dominic said.

"She just knows her kids too well." Thea scoffed, "There's no hiding secrets from her."

* * *

"_Ok, you all have to open these gifts at the same time." Thea nodded, last Christmas, handing out small bags to her two sisters and parents. They always went to her parents' house for Christmas, exchanging gifts in the morning, and then having dinner with them, her Uncle Dean and cousins and Sam. It was a big family day for sure._

"_Oh, this isn't something I have to do with them, is it?" Jude asked, "Are you sending me to a show with them?" She pointed to her parents, sitting on the ground amongst so much wrapping paper._

"_Thanks very much." Punk nodded to Jude sarcastically._

"_It's not a show." Thea chuckled, sitting down with Dominic. She loved a good surprise, as long as she was the one doing the surprising._

"_What is this?" Cassie questioned, taking a baby bottle out of her bag._

"_Ha ha, very funny." Punk nodded, taking out a bandana and hair brush from his bag, "What is this to brush? My beard?" He questioned sarcastically. He was bald, unlike his long haired days when Thea was younger._

"_Just everyone open their gift." Thea said as Punk turned to AJ who had pulled out a tiny pair of converse, looking over at Thea with raised eyebrows._

"_I won't fit into this." Jude said, pulling out a baby grow, as well as some little children's colouring in books, "I'll have fun with these books, though." She said._

"_Thea." AJ said, looking over at Thea. She seemed to be the only one catching on._

"_What?" Thea smiled cheekily whilst Punk was trying to put on his bandana._

"_How the hell did I used to wear these?" Punk groaned to himself._

"_Are you…" AJ looked over to Thea, "Are you pregnant?" She questioned._

"_What?" Punk shrieked, his voice going the highest it had ever gone._

"_Maybe." Thea smiled as Dominic chuckled._

"_Are you having a baby?" Cassie asked with raised eyebrows._

"_Yeah." Thea nodded, "I'm due in July." She said._

"_Oh my God." AJ squealed, throwing her bag down and standing up, "Oh my God." She placed her hands over her mouth as Thea chuckled, standing up and getting one of the most excited cuddles she'd had._

"_This isn't a prank, right?" Jude questioned in shock._

"_No it's not a prank." Thea chuckled as Punk stood up, and then sat back down for a second._

"_Oh my God." AJ clasped her hands excitedly, not knowing what else to say, "Oh my God." She said again as Dominic chuckled._

"_You're reacting the same way I did." Dominic pointed out as Thea smiled._

"_I can't even imagine you with a baby, gosh." Jude said, walking over and giving her sister a hug as Cassie joined in._

"_I'm only fifteen and I'm gonna be an aunt." Cassie said with fascination._

"_You're gonna be the cool, fun aunt." Thea smiled._

"_No, that's gonna be me." Jude said as Thea chuckled._

"_When did this happen?" AJ gasped, "No… well, not literally." She laughed to herself, "But when did you found out?"_

"_A couple of weeks ago." Thea nodded, "We were gonna come tell you straight away but then we thought it'd be a good Christmas idea."_

"_I don't get it." Punk said as they all turned around and looked at him, standing up whilst he sat on the couch, "Why do I have a bandana and a hair brush?" He shook his head as Thea looked over._

"_Well I… I remember when I was little I used to do your hair and put your bandana on." Thea said, "So I… well I'd like for my kid to do the same." She nodded as Punk smiled to himself, "Just as long as you don't actually leave the house with the bandana on because… let's face it, those days are a little behind you." She shrugged as Punk nodded, standing up._

"_Always a sarcastic joke." Punk nodded, wrapping his arms around her tightly, "Congratulations, sweetheart." He kissed her head sweetly as Thea smiled._

"_Are you scared for me?" Thea smiled, pulling back from the hug._

"_No, you got this." Punk nodded, giving Dominic a hug and congratulating him too._

"_I'm scared for you." Jude added into the conversation, "You're the least maternal person I know." Jude scoffed._

"_Jude." AJ tutted._

"_What? She is." Jude chuckled, "She told me Santa wasn't real when I was like eight." She shook her head._

"_She did the same to me." Cassie added._

"_You're terrible." Dominic chuckled as he looked at Thea who just shrugged._

"_Oh my God, I need to mark the calendar for next year." AJ ran away out of the living room as Punk chuckled._

"_She's not gonna sleep tonight." Punk nodded as Thea smiled. _

_Having been no stranger to having a lot of tough Christmas' growing up, to be able to share this great news with all of her family was special and extremely important to her._

* * *

"_Hey, what are you doing in here?" Punk asked, later that night, walking through to the living room where he found Thea sitting playing with the bandana she'd gotten him._

"_I needed to recover before I have any dessert." She smiled, "I think I ate too much." She groaned, rolling her head back on the couch as Punk chuckled, sitting down beside her._

"_I think if you don't overeat during the holidays, you're doing it wrong." Punk said as Thea smiled, "You know what I just realised?"_

"_What?" Thea turned to him._

"_This is your last Christmas being… childless." He said, "Next year there'll be another little person at the table." He smiled to himself as Thea nodded slowly, looking down as Punk noticed, "Hey, what's wrong?"_

"_Nothing." Thea shook her head casually._

"_Hey… what's wrong?" Punk asked again as he knew there was something on her mind, he could tell by her face._

"_Well… Jude is right. I'm not exactly the most maternal." Thea said, "I could really suck at this. I have no clue what I'm doing. And it's not like I can exchange it and get a refund." She scoffed as Punk nodded._

"_Yeah, they don't do that. I tried with all three of you." Punk nodded as Thea turned to him with a small smile, "Jude was just teasing you. It's different when it's your own kid. It's just a different feeling. You're gonna be just fine." He said._

"_You don't know that." Thea said._

"_Me and mom had you when we were nineteen." Punk said, "And we worked it out. I mean… don't get me wrong, there's definitely times where it's tough and you doubt yourself but… it's the best thing you'll ever do." He nodded, "And you'll be great."_

"_My plan was to start having kids when I turned thirty." Thea nodded, "I thought I'd be more prepared-"_

"_You won't ever be prepared for this, trust me." Punk nodded, "No one is. But you'll learn as you go." He said._

"_So there's no guide or plan to this?" Thea asked._

"_Nope." Punk said, "I look at it as building a huge piece of furniture without the instructions." He said, "You might put some things in the wrong places and-"_

"_Can't help thinking that might have prevented this whole thing from happening in the first place." Thea said as Punk turned to her._

"_Thea." Punk rolled his eyes._

"_What?" Thea laughed to herself._

"_Like I was saying…" He tutted, "You can screw up and you can even watch the whole thing collapse at one point, but… you'll get it eventually." He nodded._

"_Well… I know where to come to if I get stuck." She said as Punk smiled._

"_Did I really use to wear these?" Punk asked, taking the bandana from her and looking at it._

"_Yeah." Thea chuckled, "I remember when I got out of school, my friends dads would all have their business suits on and their shirts and you were standing there with your bandana and your band t-shirts." She said as Punk smiled, "I loved that. Thought I had the coolest dad ever."_

"_Oh and now I'm not cool anymore?" Punk asked her._

"_Well that's why I bought you the bandana, obviously." Thea tutted as Punk smiled._

"_Well go on. Put it on." Punk nodded, "For old times' sake." He said, handing her the black bandana as she sat up, wrapping it around him and tying it good at the back._

"_Let me see." Thea nodded as he turned around to her as she looked at him._

"_Now you just look like a pirate." Thea tilted her head, "Especially with that missing tooth. When are you gonna fix that?" She wondered as Punk fake smiled._

"_Funny." Punk nodded._

"_I'm actually serious." Thea said, "I don't want you to scare my child." She chuckled as Punk stood up._

"_Nice talking to you." Punk nodded._

"_No, come back." Thea laughed, watching as he walked off out of the living room, smiling to herself. _


	49. Missing

**Missing**

* * *

"It's so pretty." Jude smiled, standing in front of the large tree that was up in the city beside the Christmas markets which her and Sean were visiting and spending the night at.

"It is." Sean nodded, "This is the first time I've been door here, you know."

"Really?" Jude turned to him.

"Yeah." Sean nodded, "I've always been working or too busy. Or… so I tell myself that." He said.

"We always come here." Jude smiled, "I have good memories down here." She nodded.

"Yeah?" Sean questioned, "Like what?"

"Being on my dad's shoulder and putting a bobble on the tree. Or even last year when we came and me and Cassie won a hot dog eating competition." Jude said.

"No frickin way." Sean laughed.

"Honest to God." Jude nodded, "And none of us knew Thea was pregnant at the time and I wanted her to do it too but she was about to be sick with the smell of the hot dogs." She chuckled as Sean smiled.

"So you really come here every year?" Sean asked.

"Every year." Jude nodded, "Even the year that… Thea was really sick, she was just out of hospital. But mom took us here anyway. Didn't shy away from it." She said.

"Yeah my mom didn't really take us to places like this." Sean shook his head as they began to walk through the markets.

"Why not?" Jude asked.

"No reason. Just… she was a single mom who worked full-time. Had like three jobs at one point." Sean said, "Saying she never really had the time feels dramatic but… she didn't." He said as Jude nodded, "She even worked on Christmas Day sometimes." He said.

"Did your dad never help out?" Jude asked. She was surprised as he normally didn't talk about his family. She'd been hoping he did, though, because she wanted to know more about him and his background.

"I don't know my dad." Sean nodded, "So… no, he didn't." He said as Jude nodded.

"I'm sorry." Jude said.

"No, don't be." Sean shook his head, "I don't know the guy so it doesn't hurt." He said, "It's just… it's weird, when I went to that game with your dad a few weeks ago, it was like… wow, this is what a dad is." He said as Jude smiled.

"That's sweet of you to say." Jude nodded, "Not many people like my dad." She chuckled.

"You can just tell he's someone who loves his family." Sean said as Jude smiled, "And would do anything for them. Don't get me wrong, I know who he is from the cops point of view but… that's what's so interesting about being a cop sometimes. You can separate the people who are genuinely bad people, and people who are just caught up in stuff." He said as Jude nodded.

"I used to think he was a bad person." Jude admitted as Sean looked at her, "More so when I was a kid, growing up. When you realise the significance of prison and what it is, who it holds… and you realise that your dad is in there." She nodded, "It's pretty rough."

"Yeah, I can imagine." Sean nodded.

"But I know him as my dad and it never made me love him any less or think of him any different than my dad." Jude said, "He made a mistake and it turned out to be a pretty bad one that it kept coming back to haunt him." She nodded.

"Yeah, we get that a lot with some people." Sean said, "Just getting caught up with the wrong people."

"I can imagine it's easy to do. Especially when you're young." Jude said, "You never told me why you wanted to be a cop?" She said.

"I don't know, it wasn't like it was a lifelong dream or anything." Sean admitted, "It just fitted with me, I guess." He said.

"It does." Jude agreed.

"So what's the plans for after college?" Sean asked her.

"I'm not sure. I think I might want to teach art, but do freelance on the side. So I have a steady income but can also do what I want with my own time." She said.

"That's a smart idea." Sean nodded.

"I don't know yet, though. It's still another year and a half away." She said.

"Yeah, you don't need to stress about that right now." Sean agreed, "You wanna go for a drink in here?" He pointed to the cute little outside bar which had patio heaters and lights outside to heat the place up and give it that festive feel.

"Yeah, this looks cute." Jude smiled, walking into the little wooden bar area, sitting at one of the benches whilst Sean walked up to the bar to get them drinks.

She was completely unaware that someone had been following them, and was now standing over behind a stall, watching her from afar.

"Here you go." Sean came back with drinks, sitting down across from her at the bench.

"Thank you." Jude smiled, "Hey, I wanted to ask you if you had heard anything else about… what happened to Chelsea." She said, "Me and Kirsty want to go visit her but we think it's best to give her the space right now."

"We've not found anyone if that's what you mean. And no other similar crime has been reported-"

"Is that what you do? Just wait for someone else to get raped?" Jude questioned.

"No, it's not like that." Sean said, "I just mean there's not a case profile building up. We don't even have a suspect." He said, "It's pretty cold."

"She must be terrified." Jude shook her head, "I couldn't… I can't imagine it."

"No one should have to imagine it never mind actually go through it." Sean agreed.

"You said that there had been other reports made by girls in the institute? Sexual harassment reports." Jude said, "Are they been looked back into?"

"Yeah. Most of them were anonymous gropes or… cat calls. All from a guy they either didn't see or didn't know." Sean said, "There is one girl who reported a stalker a couple months ago. She gave us a description of what he looked like. Said he would keep bumping into her and she always felt like he was following her, keeping tabs on her."

"Wouldn't it benefit to talk to her again, see if she could give a little more description or something?" Jude asked.

"Well when we tried to, her number doesn't exist anymore and she's moved address, and her new one hasn't been updated on the system." Sean said.

"Isn't that a little concerning? Since she was reporting a stalker a few months ago?" Jude asked.

"It happens, I guess." Sean said, "We are doing everything we can." He said, "Let's not talk about work, though."

"Ok." Jude agreed, "I'll probably be back down here again this week."

"Why's that?" Sean asked.

"Well now that Thea feels like she can move a little better, she wants to come down here with everyone and show James the tree and the lights." Jude said, "I think she was upset at the thought that she might not be able to. Especially since it's his first Christmas. But she's feeling good. Not amazing but better than she was."

"Well at least she can make it down to show James the tree." Sean smiled.

"Yeah, I'm glad for her." Jude smiled.

Meanwhile the figure watching from behind a stall had walked off, heading down towards the large tree, looking around it intensely, scanning all the bobbles with names and messages on it.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Punk asked, later on in the week, heading down to the markets with everyone, including Thea who was so excited to finally get to go after not knowing if she was able.

"I'm ok." Thea nodded to him, pushing James in his stroller, "It's still painful, obviously but… I can do things. I can move better. I feel like I have my freedom back again, you know?" She nodded to him.

"You look a lot more upbeat and happier." Punk noticed.

"Yeah, it was starting to really get me down." Thea nodded, "Especially with Dominic needing my support too." She said as Punk nodded, looking over at Dominic who was walking with Jude, AJ and Cassie.

"How's he been doing? I… I wanna talk to him about it but I don't wanna make him uncomfortable or anything." Punk said.

"You won't. He'd appreciate you asking." Thea smiled, "He's doing good. I mean it's a tough time anyway at this time of year, all the alcohol and… what not." She groaned, looking over at the outside bar.

"Yeah, I bet." Punk nodded.

"But hey I'm just glad I get to come down here this year and show James the tree." Thea smiled.

"Me too." Punk nodded, approaching the busy tree, "Hey, you cold?" He asked, wrapping his arm around AJ who appeared to be shivering.

"Yeah, and I got three layers on. Something wrong with me." AJ scoffed.

"I'm not complaining." Punk smiled, rubbing her arm as he kept his arm around her closely.

"It doesn't stop being pretty." Jude shook her head with a fond smile.

"It's sad seeing the bobbles with messages to people who have died." Cassie frowned, adjusting her hat.

"Christmas can be hard for some people." Thea nodded, "When you've lost someone." She said.

"We're lucky." Jude nodded, looking on at the tree as Punk turned to AJ with a warm smile as she leaned her head against his chest in his embrace.

"Hey, buddy… you wanna see the tree?" Thea smiled sweetly, reaching into the stroller and lifting James into her arms as Dominic smiled, "You like all the lights?" She whispered, kissing his head.

"You got a bobble for him?" Jude asked.

"Yeah." Dominic nodded, reaching into the bottom of the stroller and picking up the bobble they'd bought specially for James' first Christmas.

Punk watched as Thea held James, pointing to the tree and touching some of the lower branches as James rested in her arms. It reminded him of the first time he and AJ took Thea, when she was just a baby. It was a full circle moment to see his daughter doing the same with her own little family now. It was special.

"Hey mom, where did you put our bobbles?" Thea asked.

"Oh, it was around here somewhere, to the left." AJ looked around for the bobbles.

"Right there." Punk noticed, "Above the group of reindeer bobbles."

"Oh, yeah. I see it." Dominic nodded, "Do you want me to put this beside those ones?" He asked Thea.

"Yeah, do that." Thea smiled, watching as Dominic put the bobble on beside the other ones, "He's fell asleep." She chuckled, noticing James asleep against her shoulder, "Not that exciting, huh?" She fixed his hat on him with a smile.

"Hey, did you guys not put a bobble on for me?" Jude questioned, noticing she didn't have a bobble up.

"What?" AJ shook her head, looking over at the bobbles.

"We did." Punk nodded, "It's not there?" He questioned, looking over.

"It's just Thea, Cassie and James." Jude said.

"We definitely put one on for you." AJ said, "We stuck them on real good, too." She said, turning to Punk who nodded.

"Maybe it blew off." Jude shrugged.

"Phil, go write another one. The bobbles are over there." AJ said as Punk nodded, wandering off and grabbing a bobble from the basket, writing on it with the pens beside the basket, putting Jude's name on it and sliding it on beside the others.

"I don't know how it came off." Punk said, "Because they stick right on."

"As long as you didn't forget me." Jude folded her arms.

"Never." AJ shook her head as Jude smiled.

"There." Punk smiled, standing back, "Am I allowed some donuts now?" He asked his wife who chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, you've been a good boy." She patted him on the back, walking off towards the other markets as Cassie and Jude followed.

"I'm glad we got to do this." Thea smiled, taking a sigh of relief, staying beside the tree.

"Me too." Dominic smiled, leaning in and kissing her softly as Thea held a sleeping James in her arms, kissing back. There was no place she would rather have been right now, with no other people than her family.

"We don't have to walk through the markets if it's too much with… the bars and stuff-"

"No… No, I can do it." Dominic nodded as Thea smiled, "If you can push yourself to get down here and get stronger every day… I can too." He said as Thea smiled, leaning back in for another kiss.

They eventually broke apart.

"You put him in." Thea said, passing James to Dominic who leaned down into the stroller to put his son in.

Thea fixed her jacket on her, smiling as she looked at the tree, turning around to watch Dominic putting James in his stroller, when in the corner of her eye she noticed Jeremy, who had bumped into Jude when they were having coffee. And she noticed he was looking over at her, standing by himself beside a stall.

She glared over at him, watching him quickly turn around and eventually walk off.

"What's up?" Dominic asked, noticing a change in Thea's face.

"Nothing." Thea said, looking over fiercely to where Jeremy had been standing, turning over and looking at Jude standing with Cassie at one of the stalls.

"You sure?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, turning to him, smiling and nodding, "Yeah, I'm fine." She linked her arm through his, "Let's go buy some crap we don't need."

"Yeah." Dominic smiled, walking away from the tree and joining the markets.


	50. Threat

**Threat**

* * *

"Hey." Thea walked into the police station, finding Sean standing over at the front main desk.

"Hey, Thea." Sean nodded, "What's up?"

"Not much." Thea said, "I uh… I actually came here for a favour." She nodded.

"Sure. What do you need?" Sean nodded. He wouldn't admit it, but he was slightly scared of Thea. She had the same ability as her father to put fear in people. It wasn't a look or a way of speaking. It was just a presence. And he assumed with her being as beautiful as she was, it probably got her into trouble at times.

"I need you to find me an address for someone." Thea said as Sean looked at her.

"I… I can't really do that. That's giving out information-"

"Bla bla bla." Thea chuckled passively, "You're dating my sister. We're… we're family." Thea nodded, "Don't worry, I'm not off to murder anyone." She smiled as Sean looked at her.

"I'd get into massive trouble for doing that." Sean nodded.

"Well that's ok because my family tend to get into trouble a lot. So you'd fit right in." Thea nodded as Sean looked at her, "Ok, look… I know I shouldn't be asking you, I feel bad about it, but… I just need an address to go talk to someone, that's it."

"Talk to who?" Sean asked.

"Uh… his name is Jeremy Simons." Thea nodded. She done her social media searching last night, "He's an old friend." She lied as Sean looked at her.

"An old friend? You don't strike me as the type to have old friends? Or… any friends for that matter." Sean admitted.

"I have friends." Thea scoffed, "Just get me the address." She waved her hand.

"Fine." Sean shook his head.

"Oh and don't tell Jude I asked you to do this. She'll get all mad at me for… interfering with your career." Thea covered herself.

"She would." Sean said, turning the computer around as he typed Jeremy's name into the system, "How you been feeling? How's your side?"

"I'm getting there." Thea nodded, "Off and on with the pain." She said, "I'm just glad I got to take James to the tree." She smiled to herself.

"Yeah, he enjoyed it so much he slept the entire time, huh?" Sean smiled to her.

"He's a very sleepy guy." Thea explained, "Likes his naps like his mom." She smiled as Sean nodded.

"And his aunt." Sean pointed out as Thea smiled, "Ok, is this the guy?" He asked, showing her a picture as Thea looked over.

"Yeah, that's him." Thea smiled, "You got his address?"

"I'll write it down for you." Sean nodded, reaching over for a piece of paper and writing the address down, "So how do you know this guy?"

"Uh… an old job I used to have." Thea said vaguely, "He sent a get well card after hearing about me getting shot so I wanted to send a thank you card back." She said, thinking quickly on her feet as Sean nodded, buying it of course.

"Ok, well here you go." He passed her the piece of paper as Thea smiled, taking it from him.

"Thank you." Thea smiled, "I better let you get back to hard work."

"It's a pretty slow morning actually." Sean said.

"There's no such thing as slow mornings in my job." Thea chuckled.

"Yeah, I can understand that." Sean nodded, "You missing it?"

"I am, actually." Thea said, "Part of me can't wait to go back."

"I'm sure it won't be long." Sean said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, hopefully. I'm getting cabin fever in the house." She chuckled as Sean smiled, "I better go. I'll see you later." She said as Sean nodded, watching her leave the police station as he quickly cleared his searches on the computer.

* * *

"Ok, are you ready?" Punk asked, standing at the bottom of he and his wives bed where she was sat in the middle with her legs out in front of her.

"Just do it already." AJ shook her head.

"I don't think you're ready." Punk teased.

"Phil, I am getting really impatient now. Either you do it, or I'll do it myself." AJ nodded as Punk scoffed.

"Ok, fine." Punk said, taking a hold of the side of one of her wax strips on her legs, "Ready?"

"Just do it!" AJ exclaimed as Punk ripped the wax strip off as AJ squealed, grabbing him by the t-shirt angrily as he fell over, "Why'd you do that?!"

"You told me to!" Punk yelled back.

"That hurts so bad." AJ fake cried, rubbing her stinging, but smooth leg, well… only a small part of it, she had a ton of strips to go all up and down her legs.

"I told you it would." Punk said, folding his arms.

"Oh, don't do the I told you so thing." AJ rolled her eyes, "Ok, do the next one." She said as Punk took a hold of another strip, "No, wait… I'm scared." She freaked out.

"What's going on in here?" Cassie shook her head, walking into her parents' bedroom, "Oh, cool. Can I pull one off?" She noticed the waxing strips on her mother's legs.

"Hey, this isn't an attraction. This is painful." AJ made clear.

"You're the dummy who told me you wouldn't feel a thing." Punk said.

"No I didn't." AJ said.

"You did. I distinctly remember you saying, I've had three babies, a little wax isn't gonna hurt me." Punk recited as AJ made a face at him.

"You remember that but you can't remember to buy a turkey on Christmas Day!" AJ bit back.

"Oh, when are you going to get over that?" Punk questioned as Cassie rolled her eyes.

"You two are ridiculous." She chuckled to herself, walking back out of the room, realising her parents were just being… well, her parents.

"Ok, just do the next one. I want these off me." AJ shook her head, "You do this leg, I'll do the other." She instructed.

"All at the same time?" Punk cringed.

"Yes, just go." AJ nodded, ripping off the strips as Punk done her other leg, watching as she kicked her legs up and down with the pain, continuing to say 'ow' every time a strip was ripped off.

"Ok, there." Punk nodded, "They're all off." He said, "Ok. All done." He smiled, kissing all around her face, "Don't make me do that again, I didn't enjoy that." He said, continuing to kiss around her face lovingly.

"Yeah, I wasn't enjoying myself either, don't worry." AJ said, sitting the strips over, "But look how nice my legs look now." She said, swaying her legs back and forth sweetly as Punk chuckled.

"Mom?" Jude called, walking into the house.

"Up here!" AJ called from the bedroom.

"Is it safe to come up?" Jude asked wearily, walking upstairs.

"Yes." Punk rolled his eyes, "What do you want?" He said jokingly as Jude walked into the bedroom.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Jude questioned.

"I was waxing my legs." AJ said.

"Oh, yeah? How'd it go?" Jude asked, picking up the box of wax strips.

"Too painful. I won't be doing it again. They tricked me." AJ said as Jude chuckled, "I couldn't even do my legs and I was about to start off with the bikini wax."

"Is that why you're here to help?" Jude tutted.

"What? No." Punk said innocently as AJ chuckled.

"I wouldn't do that on your own. If you want that done go to a professional." Jude advised.

"No." AJ chuckled, "I've been doing it on my own since I was young. Why pay someone else to do it?"

"I forgot you were poor." Jude nodded.

"Yeah." AJ said.

"You girls wouldn't survive the way we had to live when we were kids." Punk said as Jude tutted, "I take that back. Thea would survive. You and Cassie wouldn't." He said.

"Do I hear favouritism?" Jude tutted.

"It's not favouritism." Punk scoffed, "It's just the truth."

"Mom?" Jude turned to her mom who was waving her hands over her legs, trying to dry them.

"Oh, he's right." AJ nodded as Punk smiled, "You made me come to your apartment last week to get rid of a spider."

"It was a big spider!" Jude said dramatically as Punk rolled his eyes.

"It was tiny, Jude." AJ scoffed, "What's up anyway? What you doing here?" She asked.

"Thought I'd come for dinner." Jude said.

"Do you ever have dinner in your own apartment?" Punk asked.

"Do I look like I know how to cook anything?" Jude laughed.

"Maybe it's time you learn." Punk suggested.

"No." Jude chuckled, "That's why I come here. Duh." She shook her head as Punk rolled his eyes.

"I better go start making something then." Punk shook his head, walking away out of the bedroom as Jude shook her head.

"Let me see this." Jude said, sitting down on the bed, taking out a wax strip and putting it on her leg.

"You're gonna regret that." AJ shook her head.

* * *

Later that night, Thea had left the house, leaving Dominic with James, telling him she was going out to the store for something. She wasn't in any idea condition to be making threats, but when something was necessary, especially to protect her sister, she'd do it no matter what pain she was in.

She drove a little further into the city, eventually reaching the address she'd gotten from Sean earlier on, parking at the side of the side walk and looking on at the house.

She rolled her car window down, taking a cigarette out to have a quiet minute to herself, leaning her elbow on the side of the car door as she blew the smoke outside the window.

"You better be in." Thea whispered to herself, turning the car off and stepping outside.

She flicked her hood up over her head, finishing her cigarette as she walked towards the house, putting it out on the ground as she knocked on the door.

She waited for a few minutes until she finally heard someone coming to the door, opening it up wide as she looked on.

"Hi." Thea looked across at Jeremy.

"W-What are you doing here?" Jeremy questioned as Thea walked into the house, pushing past him, "W-What do you want?" Jeremy asked nervously, "Why are you here?" He asked innocently as Thea walked through to the kitchen, looking around the house to make sure it was empty.

"I came here to talk to you." Thea said as Jeremy followed her into the kitchen.

"I don't know you. Well… I know you're Jude's sister but… why are you here?" Jeremy shook his head as Thea looked across at him.

"I'm here to warn you." Thea nodded calmly.

"Warn me?" Jeremy questioned as Thea watched. He looked terrified for some reason. She wasn't sure if he was just a strange person or there was something going on. But she didn't like him one bit. She knew that much.

"Yeah. Warn you." Thea nodded, walking towards him slowly, "My sister is a good person to a default. She'd never question why you keep bumping into her." She said.

"I like Jude. Your… Your sister is a good person." Jeremy nodded, backing up as Thea walked towards him.

"She is." Thea nodded.

"I haven't done anything wrong." Jeremy said as Thea stared at him.

"I know guys like you. I knew guys like you." Thea said, "You're the innocent, good guys to everyone else… and then there's the girls who no one believes." She said as Jeremy looked at her, "I don't like the way you look at my sister. I don't like the way you're following her and stalking her." She said as Jeremy gulped, looking at her.

"I'm not… I-"

"If you touch her, if you go anywhere near her…" Thea whispered, standing extremely close to Jeremy, "I will end you." She promised, "And don't think I won't." She made clear as Jeremy gulped, "Stay the hell away from her. Do you understand me?" She said as Jeremy nodded quickly.

"I'm not trying to hurt her." Jeremy shook his head.

"Just stay away from her." Thea said, "Because if it's not ending you, it'll be my dad, or my uncle, or my husband… not that I couldn't handle you on my own." She said as Jeremy gulped, "Whatever sick, twisted thing you're doing… creeping on my sister, whether you're planning on something, making a move, I don't know… this is your warning." She nodded, "Don't" She shook her head as Jeremy gulped.

"I'm not. I won't." Jeremy shook his head as Thea nodded.

"Good. Because it won't end well for you." Thea said. She came here to warn him, and judging by his reaction, he was taking his warning seriously, "If you even so much as look at her again or… "accidentally" bump into her-"

"I'm not gonna… I won't…" Jeremy shook his head innocently as Thea looked at him, "I just like her, that's all-"

"Well she has a boyfriend and stalking people is never ok." She spat, "Don't go near my sister again, do you understand me?"

"Yes." Jeremy nodded as Thea looked across at him.

"Good." Thea nodded seriously, stepping back from him, "I'll see myself out." She said, glaring at him intensely as Jeremy watched her walk out of the kitchen and leave his house, taking a deep breath.

He listened as the door slammed shut, a smile appearing on his face as he began to chuckle to himself, his shoulders loosening as he transformed into a calm state immediately.


	51. Ask Me Anything

**Ask Me Anything**

* * *

"This movie is so bad." Punk tilted his head, sitting watching TV in the living room, watching a low budget Christmas movie whilst AJ sat on the floor wrapping some last minute presents.

"Then why have you sat and watched all of it?" AJ replied calmly.

"Well I wanna see what happens." Punk shrugged as AJ shook her head, "I'll need to go pick Cassie up soon anyway." He said, looking over at the clock.

"I think she's sort of neglecting her soccer." AJ said as he turned to her, "She's not into it as she used to be." She shrugged, "I mean… she was meant to be at practise tonight but she blew it off to go out with her friends."

"Isn't she just growing out of it?" Punk shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so." AJ nodded, "She's just done it for so long and… it's something she's always loved." She said.

"Doesn't mean she doesn't love it anymore." Punk said, "Maybe she just wants to try other things and spend more time with her friends. It's not a bad thing."

"Oh, I know. Whatever she wants to do, as long as she's happy." AJ said, "I just don't want her to regret it if she does leave the team. I mean, she's so good at it."

"Maybe she won't." Punk said, "Maybe she's just wanting a little break. She works hard at it." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I know." AJ said.

"Hey do you want a hand with that?" He asked her as she looked up at him.

"I'd uh… I'd rather you didn't." AJ smiled sweetly as Punk nodded, used to the rejection at this point, "I spoke to Thea this morning on the phone. She had physio this morning. Said she was in a lot of pain but she's doing ok now." She said as Punk nodded.

"I just hope she's not overdoing it." Punk said, "You know what she's like."

"I know but… she just doesn't want to be sitting around all the time. She's very hyperactive like you. Can't sit still for more than two seconds-"

"Me? Me who has been sitting here all day watching Christmas movies?" Punk asked her with confusion.

"When you were younger, I mean." AJ said, "You always had to be doing something, going somewhere." She said as Punk nodded.

"Places to be, people to see." Punk nodded, "At least her spirits have lifted now that she can do a little more. I think she was just bummed she was practically gonna miss James' first Christmas, and then with Dominic have a setback, I think she was just worried." He said.

"I spoke to Dominic when we were at the markets last week. He's doing better. Much better." AJ said, "Phil, I just think it got too much for him when Thea was in the hospital and he lost it for a second." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah well it was a difficult time." Punk agreed, "But… we're getting through it. And we'll have a good Christmas."

"Yes we will." AJ smiled, "Do you think Thea will like this?" She asked, holding up a sweater as Punk looked at it.

"I uh… I don't know, I don't take Thea for the sweater wearing type." Punk said.

"She was wearing a sweater yesterday when we saw her." AJ raised a brow.

"She was?" Punk questioned, "What do I know." He scoffed as AJ shook her head.

"You better get going, there might be traffic." AJ said as Punk nodded, getting off the couch and stretching.

"What do you want me to pick up for dinner?" Punk asked her.

"Oh, maybe Indian food?" AJ wondered.

"Sure." Punk nodded, "Well Cass doesn't like that so I'll probably have to take her somewhere else for something." He said, "Could be a while."

"That's ok, I'm not too hungry right now. I'll finish off the rest of this wrapping." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"Ok." Punk said, leaning down and giving her a kiss.

"Oh, Phil put on a jacket please." AJ rubbed his arm as Punk nodded. He didn't even bother when she mothered him, he was just used to it at this point.

"Ok, I'll see you soon." Punk said, grabbing his jacket and keys and leaving the house.

* * *

He headed to Cassie's friend's house to pick her up, which wasn't too far away, sitting outside the house and waiting for her to come out.

He watched her leave the house, running towards the car and getting in as he smiled.

"Hey." He smiled.

"Hi." Cassie nodded, putting her seatbelt on, "You're early."

"Yeah well I thought traffic would be bad but it's not." He nodded, "You have fun?" He asked, pulling away from the house.

"Yeah. Hannah's mom makes amazing Christmas cookies." Cassie nodded.

"Hey, mom said that you were supposed to be at soccer practise tonight but you bailed." Punk said as Cassie nodded, "What's up? You not enjoying it anymore?" He asked her.

"It's not that I don't enjoy it." Cassie said, "I still love it but… I'm supposed to practise five days a week and I'm missing out on things. I'm missing out on going out with my friends and having my own freedom." She said, "I don't know, it's just… it's not becoming my priority anymore."

"What is your priority then?" Punk asked her.

"I don't know. School, I guess. Just having fun without exhausting myself." She said.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that." Punk said, "You just do what makes you happy." He nodded to her as she smiled.

"I just feel like everyone has their shit together and I don't." Cassie said, "Jude and Thea know what they wanna do and… they have their own lives-"

"Babe, you're just sixteen." Punk reminded her, "Your sisters are a lot older than you. You've got so much time to figure things out." He said, "Don't worry about it." He said as Cassie nodded.

"I'm still trying to let it sink in that… Thea got shot." Cassie said as Punk nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.

He and AJ knew that Cassie was a little more sensitive to the subject of the past. It was all new news to her and he figured it was still hard for her to understand and accept.

"Yeah, but she's doing good." Punk said, "Some more physio and she'll be back to her normal self."

"Why didn't anyone ever tell me?" Cassie asked, "I mean… I'm not talking about detailed stuff but the basics? No one even told me you were in prison for eight years."

"I think your mom just wanted to protect you from it. And I guess I couldn't really bring myself to tell you." He admitted, "Selfishly I like the fact that you just saw me as your dad and not the guy who was in prison for eight years."

"That's how you think Jude and Thea see you?" Cassie asked.

"No, not like that… it just… it's defined a lot of my life since I got out and you not knowing was… it was almost like an escape for me because I didn't have to be worried about what you were thinking-"

"I'd never think any different of you." Cassie made clear, "You're my dad." She said, "And I know Thea and Jude feel the same way. I guess I just feel kind of alienated with it all. Thea and Jude are so… used to all that information."

"Hey if there's anything you wanna ask me specifically about anything, just ask. I'm not pretending it never happened, I don't shy away from it." He said, "I'll answer anything."

"What's prison food like?" Cassie wondered as Punk raised a brow.

"Uh… that's what you wanna know?" Punk asked.

"Yeah. Is it lumpy?" Cassie wondered as Punk laughed a little.

"It's… it wasn't too bad." Punk shrugged as Cassie nodded.

"What was your cell like?" Cassie asked as Punk looked ahead at the road. He wasn't expecting her to ask these types of questions, but it didn't bother him at all.

"It was just a bunk bed and a urinal. Little desk at the side if we wrote any letters." Punk said, "I had a cell mate. He was nice, made sure nothing happened to me." Punk nodded.

"Was there any riots?" Cassie asked curiously.

"A few." Punk nodded, "You know these are not the type of questions I thought you'd have." He chuckled a little.

"I guess it's just hard to believe that you spent eight years away from… normal life." Cassie said, "I can't really imagine it."

"Yeah, it was… it was tough." Punk nodded, "But hey, I got through it and it's in the past. Way in the past." He said as Cassie nodded.

"It must have been really horrible." Cassie said as Punk nodded, "You must have missed a lot with me when I was young."

"Yeah well… first eight years of your life." Punk nodded.

"You weren't even there when I was born?" Cassie asked.

"No, I was arrested when your mom was pregnant with you." Punk said, "In our kitchen, in front of everyone." Punk nodded to himself. He still got flashbacks to that exact moment every now and then.

"In front of Thea and Jude?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah. I mean… Jude doesn't remember it but Thea does." Punk nodded.

"Must have been horrible." Cassie said, "Don't take this the wrong way but I'm glad that I sort of… wasn't around to see it or realise what was going on." She said as Punk nodded.

"I'm sort of glad too. Too many people were hurting as it is." He said, "I just… I wish it could have been different for all of you. Wish I didn't have to miss so much."

"If it makes any difference, I don't feel like I've ever been without you. I feel like you've been here the entire time." She nodded positively as Punk smiled.

"Good, I'm glad." He smiled.

"And we've had so much fun together as a family these past few years." She pointed out, "You shouldn't feel bad about what you missed. Just… think about the things you didn't miss." She said as Punk nodded.

"I do, and believe me, I'm really grateful." Punk said as Cassie smiled, "Hey, I'm gonna stop and pick some food up for me and mom, you want me to take you for something somewhere?"

"Oh, yeah. You could go to McDonald's for me." Cassie smiled sweetly.

"Ah, yes, the factory of grease." Punk nodded.

"Coming from the guy who eats two cupcakes a day." Cassie scoffed.

"Hey you have your habits, I have mine." Punk said as Cassie chuckled whilst Punk pulled up into the car park, "You coming in? I know you hate Indian food but I could use some company."

"Sure." Cassie nodded, getting out of the car as Punk did so too, locking it over and walking around to join her.

He wrapped his arm around her, kissing her head as Cassie smiled, "You know prison food, kinda like when Sam cooks." He let her know as Cassie chuckled.

"I don't think I've saw that woman cook in my life." Cassie said.

"Yeah well you're lucky." Punk nodded as she smiled, walking off into the take-out shop.


	52. Finding Out

**Finding Out**

* * *

"Mmm… I like that your hair is growing in again." AJ smiled, wrapped around Punk one morning, running her hands through his hair.

"Yeah, you like that?" Punk asked, "It's too cold outside to shave it." He said.

"Thank you cold weather." AJ smirked as Punk chuckled, "I miss having something to grab a hold of." She smiled.

"Oh, well… if that's the case…" Punk smiled, taking her hand as she felt him put it inside his boxer shorts.

"You're a dork." AJ chuckled with a smile, wrapping her hand around his length.

"Hey you said you wanted to hold something. I'm just helping you out." Punk nodded.

"Oh, you're helping me out?" AJ asked.

"Mhm." Punk smiled, inching closer to her face, kissing her softly as she kissed back, continuing to stroke him up and down under the sheets as he rolled over on top of her, pushing her t-shirt up over her breasts, taking them into his mouth as she smiled and rolled her head back.

She pushed his boxers down as well as pushing her own shorts and panties down, pulling Punk in between her legs by his hips, feeling him push inside her.

"Fuck." AJ moaned with satisfaction, biting her lip, "Feels so good." She said, pulling his face down to her, cupping his cheeks and kissing him passionately.

She felt like the older they got, the more little things like lie ins at the weekend with each other became more important. It was hard to believe that she really thought she could divorce him back when he came home from prison. She just couldn't live without him. He was such a massive part of herself, not just her life but her as a person. He truly was her other half, and all the crazy things they had been through just made them stronger.

"You feel so good, baby." Punk whispered in her ear, kissing her neck as AJ cupped the back of his head, feeling him thrusting into her, hitting the intense spots so hard.

"Oh, right there." AJ gasped, circling her legs around him tighter, desperate to feel him as close as she could.

Punk lifted his head from her neck, watching her in all her glory, moaning softly with so much content and pleasure. She was the most beautiful person in the world to him and these intimate moments never lost their spark one bit. It was just as real and passionate as their first time, and he knew that was extremely rare.

* * *

"This was me and Kirsty when we went to New York in the Summer." Jude said, lying in bed with Sean, sitting up against the headboard as she flicked through some pictures she was showing him.

"Why'd you go to New York?" Sean asked, taking the picture from him and chuckling, "Is she wearing a foam finger?"

"Yeah, she took it around everywhere I was gonna lose my mind." Jude nodded, "We're just art geeks, I guess. There was a ton of exhibitions there and I've always wanted to go to the met." She said, "We met a ton of cool people and we got to use some of the stuff we looked at as work for our final exams." She said, pausing for a second, "And now I'm just talking too much." She chuckled to herself as Sean turned to her.

"Hey no… I love when you talk about art. I think it's amazing you love something so much and you're doing it as a career." He said, "Not many people can do that."

"Well, I don't wanna be stuck doing something I hate." Jude said.

"Maybe you can take me to the mets one day." Sean smiled as Jude looked at him.

"It's the met." Jude smiled sweetly, "I'd really like that." She nodded as he smiled, "This is a picture from Thea's bachelorette." She smiled.

"Is that a stripper?" Sean looked closer.

"Yeah, two actually." Jude nodded, "We had the crazy one and then the one that we had my mom come too."

"I take it this one was the crazy one?" Sean chuckled.

"No." Jude chuckled, "That's the one my mom was at. I don't even have pictures from the crazy one."

"You had strippers there whilst your mom was there?" Sean asked.

"Have you met my mom?" Jude chuckled, "She suggested the idea."

"I'm sure your dad loved hearing about this-"

"He doesn't know anything about it so… don't tell him." Jude smiled as Sean chuckled, "Another picture from the bachelorette." She passed over to him as he looked at the picture of Thea and Jude, holding inappropriate sex toys.

"Nice." Sean chuckled.

"Another one. Kirsty pretending to suck my strap-on dick." Jude passed the picture over casually as Sean shook his head.

"You're insane." Sean shook his head as Jude chuckled and nodded.

"You'll get used to it." Jude nodded, "This is one from a vacation we went on. All of us." She said.

"Oh, you're really young here." Sean noticed.

"Yeah, my dad hadn't long been out of prison and… things were starting to calm down. He and my mom were back together again and Thea was talking to him more. We all went on vacation with my aunt and uncle and their kids." Jude smiled, looking at the pictures from that vacation, "It's a really good memory." She smiled fondly.

"It looks like it." Sean smiled, looking at the pictures, "Is that you?" He pointed, noticing the next picture she had which looked like Jude when she was just three or four years old.

"Yeah, that's me." Jude chuckled.

"You're adorable." Sean said.

"This was my fourth birthday party. My mom and dad had a face painter come to the house." She smiled, flicking onto the next picture, "And I made everyone get their face painted." She showed him a picture of her parents with their faces painted.

"Looks like my kind of party." Sean teased as Jude smiled, "Where's this from?" He asked about the next picture, "Damn, your sister doesn't look good here." He noticed Thea sitting on a rock with Jude, her hood up, her face pale and ghostly looking, forcing a smile.

"Mom took us on vacation when Thea got out of rehab." Jude said as Sean nodded, "She thought it might help Thea to get away for a little bit."

"Did it?" Sean asked.

"Yes and no, I guess." Jude said, "She was still really sick. We stayed in the hotel for the most part."

"Yeah, she doesn't look good at all." Sean said, "Cassie looks like she's having the best time, though." He chuckled, looking on at five year old Cassie in the picture with her hands up and a gigantic smile on her face.

"Yeah, she was just a big ball of energy all the time. She still is." Jude nodded.

"Hey so your sister came to the station a few days ago. She told me not to tell you and at first I was like… whatever, but the more I've thought about, the more it's sort of bugging me-"

"What do you mean she came to the station? For what?" Jude asked, sitting the pictures down.

"Well she wanted an address for someone… she said it was an old friend who she needed to send a thank you card to." Sean said, "God, I can't even remember his name." He groaned, "I mean legally I can't give out that sort of information but… she kinda scares me so-"

"I can't believe she expected you to do that." Jude said, pissed off, "You should have said no, Sean."

"I know but… it seemed innocent but now I'm questioning it a little." Sean admitted.

"Yeah, because Thea doesn't have old friends." Jude scoffed.

"She didn't strike me for the type to have old friends." Sean nodded, "I just didn't like keeping it from you so-"

"I'm gonna talk to her about it. She can't just expect you to do that. That's not fair on you-"

"Oh, you don't need to make a big deal about it. I just wanted to tell you for my own peace of mind." Sean nodded.

"Who the hell would she be needing an address for?" Jude shook her head with confusion.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Sean said.

"She's a pain in my ass. And look, she's already becoming a pain in your ass too." She shook her head as Sean chuckled.

* * *

"Hey!" Thea called, walking into her parents' house with James in his carrier, walking through to the kitchen where her parents were having breakfast.

"Hi, sweetie." AJ smiled.

"Hey." Punk nodded.

"Did I come just in time for breakfast?" Thea smiled, putting the carrier down on one of the chairs as Punk looked over at his grandson.

"Yeah, heat yourself something up." AJ nodded as Thea took her jacket off slowly and painfully, "You need help?"

"No, I got it." Thea nodded.

"Hey buddy, what's new with you?" Punk smiled, watching as James grabbed onto his hand.

"Oh, let me see my favourite guy." AJ stood up, walking over and taking James out of the carrier as Thea looked over with a smile. She knew her son was loved so much by the people around him. All she had to do was walk into the room with James and her parents were showering him with love and affection.

"Dominic is working early this morning so I thought I'd come spend the day here." Thea said, "If you guys aren't doing anything."

"No, we're lazy on Sunday's in this house." Punk nodded, reading the paper whilst AJ sat down again with James in her arms.

"Oh, good." Thea nodded.

"How you feeling?" Punk asked her.

"A little sore but I think it's the physio. It's always a little more painful a few days after I have that, but it's definitely helping." Thea nodded.

"Well good, as long as it's helping and not causing you too much pain." AJ nodded, "Huh, my baby." She turned to James, kissing his cheeks as Punk smiled.

"Where is Cassie?" Thea asked.

"She's at soccer practise." Punk said, "Which I think she's gonna be quitting soon."

"What?" Thea raised her eyebrows, "Really?"

"Yeah, she's been hinting at it for a while now, hasn't she?" AJ nodded to Punk.

"Yeah, I think she just wants to focus on school and get more time with her friends." Punk said.

"Well, that's a good thing. Focusing on school." Thea said, "She can always pick it back up."

"Yeah, that's what we said." AJ nodded.

"Thea!" Jude yelled, bursting into the house, slamming the door shut behind her, "Thea!" She stormed down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Ok, I hear you, God." Thea massaged her ear.

"What's wrong?" Punk shook his head.

"Why the hell are you interfering with my boyfriend at his job?" Jude questioned angrily as Punk and AJ turned to Thea who was stirring her coffee.


	53. Invite

**Invite**

* * *

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Thea shook her head with a small, nervous laugh.

"Don't lie. You went to Sean and asked him to give you some guy's address. Which could get him into a lot of trouble." Jude said.

"Did you?" AJ turned to Thea, holding James in her arms.

"Who was it even for? Some old coke dealer?" Jude spat.

"Shut your mouth." Thea sat her coffee down angrily.

"Ok, Jude that's enough." Punk warned, "What is going on here?" He turned to Thea.

"I just asked Sean to get me an address for an old friend. That's it." Thea said, wondering how long she could get away with it.

"What old friend?" AJ shook her head.

"Just… someone from college." Thea said with frustration, "It wasn't a big deal, ok?"

"It is a big deal. Don't go to my boyfriend behind my back and ask him to do something illegal. He could get into so much trouble for that but he didn't want to say no to you because he's still trying to get all of you to like him." Jude said.

"Well maybe he should grow a set of balls." Thea said as Jude grabbed Punk's paper from him, running over to Thea and smacking her with it continuously.

"Hey!" Punk yelled angrily standing up, "Quit it, the both of you." He got in between them as AJ watched.

"You had no right." Jude pointed to Thea.

"Oh, it's not even a big deal." Thea rolled her eyes, "You're being stupid!"

"It's a big deal to me." Jude said, "It's typical Thea."

"Excuse me?" Thea shook her head, "What the hell does that mean?"

"You just doing what you want, no regard to what anyone else thinks. You've been that way you're entire life." Jude said angrily, "Taking drugs and letting all of us fall apart around you."

"That is so unfair." Thea said, hurt.

"It's true." Jude spat.

"Jude, that's enough." AJ warned.

"No… no, it's not. She needs to hear these things." Jude said.

"What is your problem? I asked Sean for a favour. It's not like I went and screwed the guy-"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past you." Jude said as Thea began to go for Jude.

"Enough." Punk held Thea back, "What the hell is wrong with you two? Acting like a bunch of kids." He said angrily.

"It was a small favour. If I knew you'd be so pissed about it, I wouldn't have asked. Sean didn't mind-"

"That's not the point. You don't put him in a position where he could get into trouble at his job." Jude said, "Whose address were you even wanting? You have like two friends." She said.

"I told you. Someone who went to college with me. They sent me a get well soon card so I wanted write back." Thea said, "Isn't it a good thing that I was comfortable enough to go to Sean and ask him?"

"No! Of course it doesn't." Jude said.

Thea desperately wished she could have told Jude the truth, but she didn't want her sister to worry. She just wanted to protect her, and she really felt like Jeremy was someone she needed protected from. She just felt it.

"Look, I'm sorry, ok? Is that what you want me to say?" Thea shook her head, "Sorry for thinking I could ask your boyfriend to do me a small favour-"

"You went behind my back and did it. That's why I'm mad." Jude said.

"Well get over it." Thea said.

"You're unbelievable." Jude shook her head, storming out of the kitchen.

"Jude, wait." Punk went after her.

"No, she never thinks before she does anything. It's all about what she wants all the time." Jude said, walking towards the door as Punk followed.

"Ok, so she made a mistake. You both just need to talk it out-"

"No, I'm not talking to her." Jude shook her head, "Stupid bitch." She said, opening up the door.

"Jude." Punk said as she slammed the door shut behind her. He placed his hands on his hips and took a deep breath, walking back through to the kitchen, "The hell is wrong with you?" Punk asked Thea.

"Oh, don't you start." Thea shook her head.

"No, I will." Punk said, "You're not putting that poor boy's job at risk-"

"He's the one who was fine with it." Thea said.

"Who was the old friend?" AJ asked curiously.

"Just a girl from college." Thea said, her back to them as Punk and AJ looked at one another.

"She's upset because you did it behind her back." AJ said.

"Oh my God, why is everybody acting like I slept with the guy or something? I asked him if he could find me an address, he told me he could get into trouble, I said no one would find out and he got me the address. That was it." Thea said.

"It just looks like you've done it behind her back." Punk said, "And she likes this guy. You shouldn't be giving them any reasons to have issues." He said.

"Oh, you know what… I'm gonna go somewhere else for breakfast." Thea shook her head, pouring her coffee down the sink, "You two are annoying me too." She said, taking James from AJ.

"Why? Because we're telling you the truth? Go speak to your little sister and fix it." Punk said.

"Come on, baby." Thea smiled, putting James back in his carrier, ignoring her parents.

"You don't have to go." AJ shook her head.

"Well I am." Thea said, putting her jacket on and grabbing her keys, lifting James' carrier and leaving the house as Punk looked over at AJ.

"What the hell was that about?" He shook his head as AJ shrugged.

"Thea doesn't have old friends." AJ scoffed, "What is she up to?" She looked at him curiously.

"I don't know." Punk shook his head with confusion.

* * *

"Coffee to go, please." Jude nodded, standing in a coffee shop after she had left her parents house angrily, putting in her order and waiting in the queue.

She wasn't so much mad at her sister for what she did, but more so mad at the fact she had done it behind her back. She wasn't sure if it was because she liked Sean so much, and for her sister to interfere with his job, she was worried he would back off from her. She was just pissed at the nerve her sister had to do what she did.

"Here you go, sweetie." The barista sat Jude's coffee down.

"Thanks." Jude nodded, taking the coffee and heading out of the coffee shop.

When she turned the corner, she bumped into someone so abrupt that she spilled some of her coffee over her, wincing at the burning feeling on her chest as she looked up.

"God, I'm so sorry." Jeremy shook his head as Jude looked up at him.

"You're always bumping into me like this." Jude said lightly, trying not to get too mad as she tried wiping her t-shirt and jacket from the spilled coffee.

"Yeah well I live around here… I know you're not far, right?" Jeremy said.

"Just a few blocks away." Jude nodded, "Enjoying the Christmas break?" She asked him.

She'd known him for a few years in college. She did think to herself he was a little weird, but she wasn't a judgemental person, and she certainly wasn't rude to anyone. He was always sweet, overly sweet at times, to her and she had no reason to be worried.

"Yeah, I really needed a break after all the work." Jeremy said.

"Yeah me too." Jude smiled, "You doing something nice for the holidays?" She asked him.

"No, my family are out of town so it's just me." Jeremy said, "What about you?"

"Going to my parents for dinner." Jude nodded, "It's going in so quick. Before we know it, we'll be back at college." She shook her head.

"Yeah tell me about it." Jeremy nodded, "Hey, there's a party on Christmas Eve at The Dot if you and Kirsty want to come."

"Christmas Eve? God, my mom would kill me if I showed up to dinner on Christmas Day with a hangover." Jude chuckled as Jeremy laughed too.

"It's a lot of college people. It's normally a good night." Jeremy said as Jude nodded.

"I'll tell Kirsty about it, maybe we'll come for a little while." Jude nodded.

"Great." Jeremy smiled, "So I'll maybe see you there." He said.

"Maybe." Jude smiled.

"Ok… sorry again about the coffee. Are you ok?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm all good." Jude smiled, "I'll see you around." She said, walking on by him and down the street as Jeremy watched her walking away.

* * *

"A Christmas Eve party?" Kirsty asked, sitting on the couch in their apartment, "Interesting." She said.

"Could be fun." Jude shrugged.

"I don't know if I trust an invite from Jeremy, though. He's weird." Kirsty said.

"He's harmless." Jude rolled her eyes, "Sean is working Christmas Eve so… maybe we could go for a little while." She shrugged.

"Sure. But I don't wanna be going to your parents house for dinner the next day with a hangover." Kirsty said.

"Me neither because they'll kill us." Jude said, "I just came from there. Had a massive argument with Thea."

"About what?" Kirsty asked.

"She went to Sean when he was at work to get an address for someone, which is illegal for Sean to do, but because she's my sister he felt like he didn't have a choice. I'm so mad at her." Jude shook her head.

"Oh, you guys will make up." Kirsty waved her hand.

"No, I'm not talking to her. She's just so self-involved." Jude said.

"That's a bit unfair. She's been through a lot these past few months." Kirsty said.

"Doesn't give her a right to go behind my back with my boyfriend, at his job. I would never do anything like that with Dominic." Jude said.

"Maybe she just thought it would be no big deal." Kirsty said.

"I just don't want Sean thinking that my family are like that. That they're gonna take advantage of him because he's a cop." Jude said, "I really like him and I just… I don't want anything ruining it-"

"Do you think you're maybe just scared that something is gonna go wrong?" Kirsty asked, "I'm sure Thea didn't mean it to hurt you or him. It seems pretty innocent."

"She knew what she was doing. Don't defend her." Jude shook her head, "I've finally met someone who gives a damn about me and I'm not having my entitled sister ruin it-"

"Come on, she wouldn't wanna ruin it. Maybe you're overreacting a little." Kirsty said.

"I'm not. She's done this her entire life." Jude shook her head, walking into her bedroom and closing the door over.


	54. Up To Something

**Up To Something**

* * *

"She's completely over dramatic." Thea shook her head, standing in her living room whilst Dominic sat on the couch listening to everything she had to say.

"I mean… you shouldn't have went behind her back-"

"Oh, don't you start on me too." Thea waved her hand as Dominic smiled a little, "I am trying to protect her." She sighed with frustration, sitting down on the chair as Dominic looked at her.

"Who was the address for?" Dominic questioned as Thea looked across at him.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone." Thea said as Dominic nodded, "Ok, so recently this guy keeps bumping into Jude. He's in her college class and she says he's harmless but… when we were all the markets last week I saw him… it was like he was watching us all." Thea said, "And when he bumped into Jude when we were having coffee, he just… he was looking at her weird, but she's too naïve to notice that type of stuff-"

"Aren't you just paranoid?" Dominic asked.

"No, I am not paranoid." Thea said, "I know what I saw. He was looking at her like he was… look, I don't know how to describe it, it was just weird and I got weird vibes from him."

"Wait a minute." Dominic sat up a little, "So you got his address and you… you went and visited him?" He questioned as Thea nodded, "You're kidding, right?"

"What was I supposed to do? I had to warn him to stay away from Jude." Thea said, "He's a creep, Dominic."

"You don't even know him." Dominic said, "What… what the hell did you say to him?"

"To stay away from my sister or… or he wouldn't like what happens next-"

"What happens next?" Dominic asked.

"I tell my dad and my uncle." Thea shrugged.

"Ok, you're crazy." Dominic pointed, "You don't know this guy. There's a ton of weird people out there, doesn't mean they're harming anybody. And if… if Jude isn't concerned about it, why are you?"

"Because she's my sister, Dominic." Thea said, "And if she got hurt or if he… did something to her, I wouldn't forgive myself." She said.

"Nothing is going to happen to her." Dominic said, "You have enough to be worrying about right now. Your sister is a big girl. She can handle herself."

"No, she's… she's naïve and she's too gullible-"

"She's a lot stronger than you give her credit for." Dominic said.

"I know she's strong but I just… I don't trust that guy, the way he's always bumping into her and seeing him at the markets just standing staring over freaked me out." She said.

"So you decided the best approach was to go threaten him?" Dominic asked.

"Yes." Thea nodded.

"If she finds out what you really wanted the address for, she's gonna be even more pissed." Dominic said, "You shouldn't lie to her."

"I just don't want her to know because I don't want her to be worried." Thea said, "You're acting like I'm doing something evil here."

"It's not evil, babe. There's just different ways you could have gone about it." Dominic said as Thea shook her head.

"I went and said what I had to say. So hopefully he won't be annoying her anymore." Thea said.

"What do you think he's going to do to her, Thea?" Dominic shook his head.

"I… I don't know. Nothing. I just… I got a bad vibe from him. Just let me protect my little sister." Thea said with frustration.

"It's not my place to get involved. But you going to strange guys houses to threaten him is kinda when I need to get involved." Dominic said, "Jude's life is completely different to ours now. Ok? We've got a baby. And we've got a house to run. We gotta focus on that."

"Yeah well nothing is important enough for me to not protect my sister if I feel that she's in danger." Thea said.

"I know that. I'm not saying you shouldn't want to protect her. But can't you see why she's mad? From her perspective?" He asked as Thea folded her arms.

"No, I can't." Thea said stubbornly as Dominic nodded.

"Ok, well… try. And maybe go talk to her, at least before Christmas." Dominic said, "I think we all deserve a good one after the past few months. And you don't wanna spend the day not talking to your sister."

"Why do you need to be so responsible? Why can't you just… agree with me?" Thea groaned as Dominic chuckled a little.

"Well I wouldn't be a very good, honest husband then. Would I?" He said as Thea made a face at him.

"I think she's worried that I'm gonna scare Sean away, which I have taken total offense to." She said, "She really likes him." Thea nodded to herself.

"It's going well for them. She's probably worried that something good might fall apart. You do the same." Dominic said.

"I do?" Thea questioned.

"You kidding?" Dominic laughed, "A week before our wedding you were considering pulling the plug on it because you were worried it would mess things up for us." He said.

"That was just nerves." Thea scoffed as Dominic shook his head, "I just want her to be happy and I don't want her to get hurt."

"You should just go talk to her tomorrow. Fix it before Christmas day." Dominic nodded, "It's a silly fight, you'll make up."

"She was mean to me today." Thea sighed, playing with her hands, "Said that it's typical me. Doing what I want and not thinking about the people around me. Like when I was on drugs."

"She said that exactly?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah." Thea sighed, resting her head against her hand, "I mean… she's not wrong."

"She's wrong for saying that." Dominic said, "She won't mean it. She's just angry."

"I think she does mean it." Thea shook her head.

"No she doesn't. If anyone knows how badly you struggled, it's her. She was there for all of it-"

"Exactly. I was pulling her down with me." Thea nodded.

"No, stop it." Dominic said, "She's angry at you and she's taking low blows to try and hurt you. It's a fight. It's how they work." He said, "You guys just need to talk it out. Make up." He nodded as Thea sighed.

* * *

"She's so self-centred." Jude shook her head, standing in Sean's apartment in the living room whilst he sat listening to her, "She's been like that her whole life. Everything is always about her."

"I'm sure that's not… entirely true." Sean said.

"It is. It is entirely true." Jude said, "She had no right to come to you at your job like that, and to keep it from me too-"

"Maybe she just didn't think. I highly doubt she wanted to upset you by doing it." Sean said.

"That's her problem. She never thinks. It's always about what she wants. She never thinks about other people." Jude said bitterly.

"I'm sure that's not true, Jude." Sean said, "Look, my job is fine. I told you because I didn't feel comfortable keeping it from you. I can understand why Thea didn't want you to find out-"

"No, she just shouldn't have asked you in the first place." Jude said.

"You guys should talk it out." Sean nodded, "Come on, now isn't the time to be fighting." Sean said.

"I have nothing to say to her." Jude shook her head.

"She's not had the best time these past few months. Little things like this can be squashed." Sean said. He hated to have caused this fight between Jude and Thea. It was never his intention, but he just didn't feel right not telling Jude, "Can't you give her the benefit of the doubt?"

"I've been giving her the benefit of the doubt for too long." Jude shook her head, "I'm sick of it." She said as Sean sighed.

"Do you really wanna be fighting with her through Christmas?" Sean said.

"Of course I don't but I'm mad with her." Jude sighed, sitting down on the couch beside him, "I'm sorry she put you in that position-"

"Hey, don't worry about me." Sean said, "Yeah, I could have gotten into trouble but I didn't, and she just asked for a favour, and the fact she felt comfortable asking me, kinda made me feel like you and me are headed in the right direction. Your family are great and they're welcoming-"

"They're annoying and selfish." Jude disagreed.

"C'mon, Jude. You know that isn't true." Sean said as Jude sighed, feeling him wrap his arm around her, "Just talk to her once you've cooled down. You'll work it out." He nodded as Jude sighed, resting her head against him.

* * *

"Are you awake?" Thea asked, lying in bed through the night.

"No." Dominic muffled against his pillow as Thea scoffed.

"I can't sleep." Thea said childishly, folding her arms, lying on her back.

"Well please try." Dominic nodded as Thea groaned, fidgeting with her hands, patting the bed covers on either side of her, "Thea." Dominic lifted his head from his pillow.

"What?" Thea turned her head.

"I got work in the morning. Can you not play the drums on our bed?" He scoffed.

"Then let me play with something else." Thea said, wrapping her leg around him, kissing him as he kissed back, breaking apart when there was a knock at the door.

"Who the hell is that?" Dominic asked as Thea got out of bed slowly and carefully, holding her side as she walked over to the window, spotting her dad's car.

"My dad." Thea shook her head, "I'll get it." She nodded, leaving the bedroom, slowly making her way downstairs, unlocking the door and opening it up where her dad stood.

"Hey." Punk nodded.

"You know it's 3am, right?" Thea wondered.

"Yes, I know." Punk said, walking into the house and through to the living room, "Did I wake you?"

"No, actually… I can't sleep." Thea said, walking into the living room after him, "What's up? Why are you here?" She shook her head.

"What are you up to?" Punk asked as Thea looked across at him, "Who was the address for?"


	55. Apology

**Apology**

* * *

"What are you talking about?" Thea shook her head, "An old friend. I told you."

"Ok, well… I know you're full of crap." Punk said, "So tell me what it was really for?" He asked.

"I'm… excuse me?" Thea looked at him, "Dad, you know what, it's 3am and I… I've had enough arguing for one day."

"Well you said you can't sleep so… let's talk." Punk shrugged, sitting down on the couch and making himself comfortable as Thea folded her arms.

"There's nothing to talk about." Thea looked at him.

"You're lying." Punk nodded calmly as Thea looked over at him, "It's fine, I mean… if you don't tell me what you're doing, I'll find it somehow."

"You think so?" Thea questioned as Punk nodded cockily.

"Dad finds out everything." Punk nodded as Thea shook her head, "Seriously…" He sat up, "What the hell is going on? I'm worried. I'm worried about what you're up to-"

"Ok, can you stop saying it like that? As if I'm being shady." Thea shook her head.

"Well I'm worried." Punk said, "I know you don't have old friends from college." He said as Thea looked across at him, "So just tell me what's going on?"

She knew she couldn't. Out of everyone, she knew she couldn't tell him, because that would only lead to disaster. She knew he would take matters into his own hands, and would be absolutely infuriated at the idea of Jude being in any sort of harm.

"Dad… really… I just wanted an address for someone I went to college with." Thea nodded. She didn't enjoy lying, especially to people she cared about, but she was just doing what she thought was best. What would protect Jude the best.

"What for?" Punk shook his head with confusion.

"You remember Kerry from college?" Thea asked. Oh, how she hated going deep into a lie.

"Yeah." Punk nodded.

"Well she sent me a get well card. Must have heard I got shot. I wanted to send her a thank you card and let her know I was doing ok but I don't have her address and… who do I know that could find me an address for someone? Sean." Thea shrugged.

"Doesn't Facebook exist for this?" Punk shook his head.

"I don't have Facebook." Thea reminded him.

"You did when you were younger, when me and mom told you that you weren't allowed one." Punk scoffed.

"That's exactly why I wanted it." Thea smiled deviously as Punk sighed to himself.

"That's really all it was?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, really." Thea nodded.

"Well are you gonna talk to Jude? This seems like something stupid to be fighting over-"

"Yeah, well tell that to her. She's the one blowing it way out of proportion." Thea shook her head.

"I think she really likes Sean. I think the last thing she wants is for you to be going behind her back with him, regardless of what it's about." Punk said.

"It's not my fault she's so damn sensitive." Thea shook her head as Punk looked at her.

"Come on, just… in the morning, go talk to her-"

"Uh… I'm the invalid here, she can come talk to me if she wants to fix it." Thea said.

"You're the oldest and… you were in the wrong." Punk said.

"Well you know what, it's almost Christmas and I haven't done any wrapping so-"

"Thea." Punk hummed.

"What?" Thea snapped.

"Just go talk to her. Work it out. You guys can't come for dinner on Christmas Day and be in the middle of a fight. Squash it so we can have a good Christmas. James' first Christmas." He said as Thea folded her arms, "It's petty on both your parts if you don't just talk it out."

"Fine. Fine I will go and I will talk to her in the morning, but if she's still being difficult then I'm not getting on my knees and begging. That's her problem." Thea said.

"Alright, ok." Punk shook his head, "And if it was anything else, you'd tell me, right?"

"Yes." Thea rolled her eyes, "Ok, it's the middle of the night so you have to go."

"Ok." Punk nodded, standing up from the couch.

"Why are you even awake at this time?" Thea questioned.

"I just… I couldn't sleep." Punk shrugged, "No reason."

"Is mom asleep?" Thea asked.

"Like a baby." Punk nodded, walking out of the living room.

"What'd you get her for Christmas?" Thea asked.

"A vacation to Hawaii for a week at the end of January." Punk said as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"That's awful generous." Thea nodded.

"Yeah well she deserves it." Punk nodded, "Got her Grinch pjs too, Christmas cookies and some books I know she wants."

"You're cute." Thea nodded, patting his arm.

"You think she'll like the vacation thing?" Punk asked.

"Hell yeah, of course she will. And if she doesn't, I'll take the ticket." She said as Punk smiled.

"She really wants to have a good Christmas this year. After all the shit that's happened." Punk said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, it'll be good." Thea smiled, "I'll… talk it out with Jude in the morning." She nodded.

"Good girl." Punk smiled, giving her a hug as she hugged back, "Ok, you go back to bed. I'm gonna go for a donut or something." He said as Thea smiled, watching as he left the house, closing the door over and heading back to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Thea headed to Jude's apartment where she saw her sister coming out of her block.

"Jude." Thea called, pushing James in his stroller, watching as Jude looked over.

"I'm still not talking to you." Jude looked over.

"Jude, just come here." Thea shook her head as Jude walked over.

"I have to go to work." Jude said as Thea nodded.

"I just want to apologise." Thea nodded, "I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have gone behind your back. You're right, I didn't think about how it looked and how you would feel and that was wrong of me." Thea said as Jude looked across at her, "I won't do it again. And I'll apologise to Sean too for putting him in an awkward position." She said.

"I don't even believe your apology." Jude shook her head.

"What?" Thea shook her head.

"You're not being sincere. You don't care about how I feel. You just want to apologise so we don't make any atmosphere at Christmas." Jude said as Thea groaned.

"Oh my God." Thea said tiredly, rubbing her forehead, "No, Jude… I'm actually apologising to you, sincerely."

"Yeah well I don't buy it. In fact, I guarantee it was mom or dad who made you come talk to me, otherwise you would have expected me to come see you." Jude said.

"Gosh, why are you making this such a big deal?" Thea shook her head, "Ok, yeah I shouldn't have done it but can't we just move on? You're acting like I slept with the guy or… killed someone with him. You're being dramatic."

"No, I'm just sick of you getting away with things and no one saying anything to you." Jude said, "Even Dominic thinks you're self-centred."

"Excuse me?" Thea shook her head.

"It's obvious." Jude nodded.

"You're being a bitch now." Thea nodded, "I'm here to apologise to you. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Just leave me alone." Jude nodded.

"What are you doing tonight? Me and Dominic were gonna rent a movie and get pizza. The two of us having matching pyjamas with James." She smiled.

"I'm going to a party." Jude said bluntly, "Enjoy your movie." She began to walk away.

"Wait." Thea pulled her back by the arm, "What party?"

"A college party." Jude said.

"And what… you're gonna show up at mom's with a hangover on Christmas day?" Thea chuckled a little.

"No, unlike you, I know when I have enough to drink." Jude nodded as Thea shook her head.

"You know what, I wasn't trying to hurt you… you're trying to hurt me when you say those things." Thea said, "And it does hurt, you know." She made clear as Jude looked across at her.

"I have to go to work." Jude said, walking past Thea and heading down the street as Thea watched and sighed.

* * *

"I didn't think there would be so many people here." Kirsty admitted, arriving at the party with Jude that night, "I thought people stayed in on Christmas Eve."

"Yeah, boring people." Jude nodded, "I need a drink." She said, walking over to the bar as Kirsty followed.

"We're only staying for a little while, right? I really don't wanna be hungover tomorrow." Kirsty said.

"Yeah, it'll be fine." Jude said, ordering them both a drink at the bar.

"Is Sean working?" Kirsty asked.

"Yeah." Jude frowned, "He's on call until 3am." Jude said, "Or else I would have just stayed in with him."

"Oh, so I'm your second option?" Kirsty asked.

"No, not you. The party." Jude nodded as Kirsty smiled, "Thea came to apologise to me today." She said.

"Oh, yeah? You guys talk things out?" Kirsty asked gladly, taking a sip of her wine.

"No." Jude said, "She's only apologising to me because she doesn't want there to be any atmosphere at Christmas. I bet you she still thinks what she did was ok." Jude shook her head.

"Is that what you really think?" Kirsty asked, "Maybe she really was apologising."

"No, trust me. You don't know her like I know her." Jude said, "On my fifteenth birthday, my dad had not long been out of prison. I wanted my family to go out, all of us, my dad too, and she made a huge scene, ruined the whole thing." Jude said, "I'm sick of having to forgive her for shit."

"At least she is apologising, though. Don't you think she's being sincere?" Kirsty asked.

"No, I don't." Jude said. She was still too mad and upset to consider talking to her sister and forgiving her. Too much was on her mind, and she was too heated to consider forgiving her just yet, "I really like Sean and the last thing I want is for him to feel caught with my family."

"I'm sure he doesn't. Didn't you talk to him about it last night?" Kirsty asked.

"Yeah but he's just being polite. I know he was uncomfortable with the whole thing." Jude said.

"You really like this guy, don't you?" Kirsty said as Jude nodded.

"I think I love him." Jude said as Kirsty raised her eyebrows.

"So that's why you're being all loopy and crazy." Kirsty nodded teasingly.

"Uh… loopy?" Jude chuckled.

"You love him." Kirsty teased, trying to kiss Jude's cheek.

"Ok ok." Jude laughed.

"Have you said it?" Kirsty asked.

"No… I'm scared he doesn't say it back. He is sort of shut off. He's not one to really open up much." Jude said.

"I thought you were going away with him for the weekend?" Kirsty asked.

"Yeah in a couple weeks." Jude nodded.

"Why don't you say it then?" Kirsty asked, "Or oh… oh, maybe he planned that trip, so he could say it to you." She said as Jude scoffed, thinking to herself for a minute.

"No…" Jude scoffed, "Well maybe." She said as Kirsty nodded.

"Hey Jude… Kirsty." Jeremy smiled as the girls turned around.

"Hey, Jeremy." Kirsty nodded, drinking her wine.

"Hi." Jude smiled.

"You guys look great." Jeremy nodded as they both smiled, "I'm glad you guys could make it." He nodded.

"Yeah well… gave us something to do." Kirsty nodded, "More time to spend more money we don't have."

"Well here… have one on me." Jeremy sat some money down on the bar.

"You don't have to." Jude shook her head.

"Hey, it's Christmas." Jeremy smiled, "I'll maybe see you guys later?" He nodded.

"Sure." Jude smiled, watching as he walked away.

"He's more tolerable when he gives us money." Kirsty nodded, sliding the money he'd left and ordering them more drinks as Jude smiled.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Dominic asked, sitting next to Thea on the couch, holding baby James in his arms as he slept whilst they watched their movie.

"Nothing." Thea forced a smile as he rested his head back on the couch.

"Thea." Dominic said, "C'mon, what's up?" He asked her, "I thought the three of us having matching Christmas Eve pyjamas would have kept a smile on your face all night."

"Believe me, it has." Thea smiled, "I'm just… thinking about Jude, that's all."

"You went and apologised. That's all you can do." Dominic said, "If she wants to hold a ridiculous grudge then let her. She's gotta let it go at some point." He said.

"I just hate fighting with her." Thea sighed, "It sucks."

"I know." Dominic said.

"I wish I could just tell her the truth." Thea said.

"You think she'd be more receptive to that?" Dominic questioned.

"I don't know." Thea shrugged, "Maybe it'd make her realise I'm not just being self-centred and selfish. That I'm actually trying to look out for her." She said, "I just wanted to handle it on my own. Protect her on my own without involving anyone else."

"Protect her from what?" Dominic shook his head, "You really think this guy wanted to harm her?"

"I don't know. I don't know, maybe he was just weird." Thea shrugged, "I just have a bad feeling about him, that's all I'm saying."

"Ok." Dominic nodded, "Well you did what you felt was right. I don't blame you for that. And Jude shouldn't either. And she certainly shouldn't be trying to hurt you just because she's mad at you. That makes her just as bad."

"I really wanted this Christmas to be great." Thea sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder, placing her hand on James' back, rubbing it softly as he slept against Dominic's chest.

"Hey, it's gonna be great." Dominic said, "We're gonna have a good time. You and your sister will squash things by the end of Christmas day. I know you both." He said as Thea sighed.

"I don't know. She's really mad at me." Thea said, "But I did everything I could." She said, "I apologised and she didn't wanna hear it."

"See how things go tomorrow." Dominic said, "Don't let it spoil your day." He said as Thea nodded.

"I can't believe it's his first Christmas." Thea smiled, looking down at James sleeping, "He's the best." She whispered, playing with James' hair as Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, I think so too." Dominic said, "I wonder if Santa will bring him anything." He teased as Thea looked up at him.

"Judging by our bank accounts, I'd say so." Thea nodded as Dominic smiled.

"Why don't you pause the movie and I'll go put him down?" He said as Thea nodded, pausing the movie.

"Ok." Thea nodded, leaning down and giving James a kiss on his cheek, smiling as she watched him make a little face in his sleep.

Dominic got up and left the living room, taking James upstairs to put him down whilst Thea waiting on the couch, sighing to herself as she thought about her sister.

* * *

"H-Hey… w-where did Kirsty go?" Jude stumbled out of the bar, feeling someone putting her coat over her shoulders, "I uh…" She tried to speak, but really couldn't find the words, nor the steps in her to move forward.

What she couldn't remember was Kirsty meeting a boy and leaving the bar. Jude was fine with it and told her she would be leaving soon anyway, but after another drink or two, she felt herself get extremely drunk, to the point where she couldn't really stand right or speak.

She couldn't really take in much of her surroundings. She didn't feel in control of herself at all. But with only having a couple of drinks, it was obvious it wasn't alcohol that was making her feel this way.

"You ok?" Jeremy fixed her coat on her shoulders, helping her walk down the street slowly.

"Uh… my phone." Jude tried to feel around for her phone drowsily, but Jeremy had her purse.

"It's ok, I got your phone." Jeremy nodded, walking her down the street, helping her walk, "You're safe with me, don't worry." He whispered, helping her down the street, far away from the crowded bars, towards his house.


	56. Christmas Day

**Christmas Day**

* * *

"Merry Christmas." Thea smiled, arriving at her parents' house in the afternoon with Dominic and James.

"Hey, Merry Christmas." AJ smiled excitedly, giving her daughter a big hug, kissing her on the cheek, giving Dominic the same love.

"Hey, I thought I heard more voices." Punk came downstairs, "Merry Christmas." He smiled, hugging his daughter and son-in-law, "Is he really sleeping?" He noticed James in the carrier, in his little waistcoat which Jude had bought him.

"Yeah, he always fall asleep on car rides. He loves them." Thea smiled.

"Did he like all his presents?" AJ smiled.

"Well we had to open most of them." Dominic teased, "He did enjoy the gigantic Simba that Thea bought him, "We got a picture of him lying in the middle of it."

"How sweet." AJ smiled, "Give me your jackets." She said, taking their coats from them, "Go on into the living room." She said as they headed through to the living room to say hello to everyone else.

Everyone was already there. Dean, Renee with their two daughters. Sam too. As well as Cassie. Thea, however, couldn't spot Jude anywhere.

"Is Jude not here yet?" Thea asked Punk who came back into the living room.

"Not yet, no." Punk shook his head, "You know her, she's always late."

"Yeah, I suppose." Thea scoffed.

"Merry Christmas, sweetie." Dean walked over, already holding his third beer of the day.

"Why are you wearing those?" Thea chuckled, noticing her uncle had a pair of sunglasses.

"Yeah, take them off, idiot." Punk shook his head.

"No, leave me alone." Dean said, kissing Thea's head and hugging her tightly, "Dom." He nodded, moving onto Dominic and hugging him.

"Are we just waiting on Jude and Kirsty?" AJ asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded.

"They went to a party last night. They're probably hungover." Thea shook her head as Punk looked over at her.

"Hey, did you two talk?" Punk asked her discreetly as Thea nodded.

"Well…I tried to talk to her. Apologised to her, told her I was sorry." Thea nodded, "She threw it back in my face. Didn't accept the apology and continued to make digs about my drinking habits." Thea nodded, "So… make sure we're sitting at opposite ends of the table." She suggests.

"Don't be ridiculous." Punk shook his head, "It's Christmas. You'll be civil." He warned fatherly.

"Whatever." Thea said, "I'm here to have a nice day. I'm not letting her ruin it." She said.

"I'll speak to her later about it. I haven't had a chance yet." Punk said.

"No, you just stay out of it and enjoy your day. Me and Jude will figure it out." She told him, "Dominic, do you wanna go get the presents from the trunk?" She said.

"Yeah, sure." Dominic nodded, passing James over to her in his carrier.

"Your presents are over there, Thea." AJ pointed as Thea nodded.

"Mom, oh my God, there's so many." Thea shook her head.

"Yeah, most of them are for James, don't get excited." Punk said.

"You two are insane." Thea smiled to herself, walking over to the presents, checking them out.

As usual, it was chaotic with everyone opening different presents, wrapping paper all over the place, talking over one another, showing different gifts to each other. It was typical Christmas.

"Why is Jude still not here?" Punk whispered to AJ.

"I don't know, did we definitely tell her 1pm?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, we did." Punk nodded, "I'm gonna call her." He said. It was starting to make him a tad nervous. He knew how much Jude loved Christmas and exchanging gifts, and it alarmed him to see how late she really was.

"Yeah, call her. That's almost been an hour." AJ said as Punk nodded, walking out of the living room and heading into the kitchen to get his phone.

Just as Punk was in the kitchen trying to call Jude, the front door opened, without anyone noticing due to the chatter amongst them in the living room…

"Who is this from?" Thea asked, unwrapping a huge bath toy for James.

"Us." Renee smiled.

"I love it." Thea smiled, "And I know he'll love it. He loves baths." Thea nodded.

"Dean picked it." Renee nodded as Thea smiled.

"I have the same one for my bath time." Dean teased as Thea chuckled.

"He's gonna love that." Thea smiled, looking at the box, getting distracted as she saw someone coming into the living room, looking up and letting go of the box a little.

"Jude?" Thea looked over at her sister who appeared to still be in last night's clothes, her hair untouched and her make-up smudged and slept on.

The room fell silent as they all noticed Jude walking into the living room.

"She's not picking up-" Punk walked into the living room, pausing as he saw Jude in the living room.

"I uh… I forgot everyone's presents but… I'll uh… I'll get them to you." Jude nodded to them, "I just forgot them." She said, rubbing her forehead, fidgeting with her hands as Thea looked across at her.

"Hey…" AJ stood up worriedly, walking over to Jude, "Hey." She smiled, cupping Jude's cheeks as Jude looked at her, "Baby, are you ok?" AJ asked quietly, "Come out here." She nodded, taking her hand and walking out of the living room to avoid everyone else's eyes on them.

"I'm fine." Jude nodded as her mother took her into the hallway.

"You don't look fine." AJ whispered, "Have you been home yet?" She asked, concerned.

"Y-Yeah… yeah, I've been home." Jude nodded.

"I thought Kirsty was coming with you." AJ said as Jude nodded to herself.

"Oh, yeah." Jude whispered to herself as AJ watched her.

Having had a daughter who was an addict, alcohol and substances, she could tell the difference between what was what. And she could tell Jude wasn't hungover or having any sort of withdrawal, which made her all the more confused.

"Is Kirsty not coming?" AJ asked.

"Uh… I… I don't know." Jude shook her head as AJ watched her.

"Baby, have you been out all night?" AJ asked her, "It's me. You can tell me." She nodded.

"N-No… No, I'm ok." Jude nodded, "I need to have a shower I think."

"Yeah, ok." AJ said, "You can borrow some of Cassie's clothes."

"Ok." Jude nodded, "I'm sorry I forgot the presents. I can… I'll go back and get them. I should." Jude nodded as AJ watched her.

"No, don't you worry about that." AJ shook her head. She couldn't understand what was wrong with Jude. It was like she was on another planet. She wasn't her usual bright, bubbly self, and of course it worried her.

"Are you sure? I can go back and get them." Jude nodded.

"No, you just go for your shower." AJ nodded as Punk came out of the living room.

"Hey." Punk said as Jude nodded to him, "Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's gonna go for a shower." AJ nodded to him.

"Yeah, I'm gonna… I'm gonna go for a shower." Jude pointed to the stairs as Punk watched her. She looked like she was scared of everything as he watched her climb the stairs.

"April…" Punk said as Jude disappeared upstairs.

"I don't think she's been home." AJ said.

"Well where has she been?" Punk shook his head, "Why does she look scared?" He questioned worriedly.

"I-I don't know." AJ shook her head, turning to him, "Kirsty was supposed to be coming with her." She said, "I think she's came straight here from somewhere."

"Sean's?" Punk questioned.

"I don't know." AJ said, "I don't know." She rubbed her forehead, "Maybe she just had too much to drink last night, and she just crashed on her bed when she got home, woke up and realised she was late."

"Maybe you should go make sure she's ok." Punk said.

"She's going for a shower. Just give her time to wake up a little." AJ nodded to him, "I bet she'll perk up once she smells the food." She said light-heartedly, trying to ease both of their minds, "Speaking of… I better go start putting things in the oven."

"Ok." Punk said, watching her anxiously disappear to the kitchen.

"Hey, what's going on?" Thea walked into the hallway, "Is she ok?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah, I think so." Punk nodded.

"She didn't look ok." Thea said.

"I don't know if she's just had too much drink last night. She looks like she's just crashed in her bed and woke up half an hour ago." Punk said as Thea nodded.

"I'll go check on her and make sure she gets some of Cassie's clothes." Thea said.

"Yeah, it's better you go." Punk nodded.

"Ok." Thea nodded, walking over to the stairs and climbing them slowly.

She eventually made it to the top of the stairs, knocking on the bathroom door as Jude responded right away.

"Who is it?" Jude questioned.

"It's just me." Thea said, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jude said immediately, "I'm going for a shower."

"Ok." Thea said, "Ok well I'll go get you some of Cassie's clothes. Do you have any preference?"

"Just not a soccer strip." Jude attempted to joke as Thea smiled.

"Well you're really limiting yourself there." Thea smiled.

"Just something comfy." Jude said as Thea nodded.

She found it strange that Jude was acting fine, as if their fight didn't even exist. She was acting overly fine, yet seemed frightened whenever she spoke. It concerned her, it concerned all of them, but they were assuming that it was just a night of drinking too much had taken its toll on her.

"Ok." Thea nodded, "Can you come out so I can give you a Christmas hug?" Thea wondered.

"Uh… yeah, give me a minute." Jude said, staring in the mirror at herself blankly, standing up straight and turning around, opening up the door as Thea looked across at her.

"Hey." Thea smiled softly, "Merry Christmas." She smiled, giving her a hug, feeling Jude hesitantly hug her back.

"Merry Christmas." Jude said quietly as Thea pulled back from the hug.

The closer she got a look at her sister, the more she could see that she really wasn't hungover, and that began to puzzle her as to why she was acting so strange, why she had shown up to the house like this.

"So how was the party?" Thea asked as Jude nodded immediately.

"Yeah, it was fine." Jude said, "I uh… I really wanna shower so…"

"Yeah, sure. Ok." Thea nodded, "I'll leave some clothes out here then." She said.

"Ok." Jude nodded, closing the bathroom door over as Thea stood outside the door for a second. It was just totally out of Jude's character to show up late, never mind show up in last night's clothes. She couldn't not be concerned or curious as to what was going on.

Nevertheless, she got some clothes from Cassie's room, sitting them outside the bathroom and heading back downstairs, making her way into the kitchen where her parents were talking quietly to each other.

"How is she? Is she ok?" AJ asked immediately, completely high on anxiety and concern. As a mother, she just knew something wasn't right.

"Yeah, she… she seems ok. She just wanted to shower." Thea said, "Maybe she'll feel a little better once she's showered and changed." She nodded.

"Did she say where she'd been?" Punk shook his head.

"No." Thea shook her head, "Look, she's probably just had a late night, maybe too much to drink, woke up in a panic and just came straight here." She said, trying to ease their minds, even though she wasn't even convincing her own self, "I'll keep my eye on her, you two just… don't worry." Thea nodded.

"It's just not like her at all." AJ sighed.

"Thea's right, let's just let her get showered and ready." Punk nodded calmly, just as there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Thea nodded, walking down the hall and opening up the door to see Kirsty standing.

"Hey." Kirsty smiled.

"Hey, Kirsty." Thea smiled, giving her a hug before she came into the house, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Kirsty nodded, "Is Jude here?" She asked immediately.

"Y-Yeah." Thea nodded, "You haven't saw her?"

"No, she… she didn't come back to the apartment last night." Kirsty said as Thea looked across at her, not knowing what to think, running her hand through her hair, "Is she ok? She wasn't picking her phone up either."

"She's… yeah, she's ok." Thea said, with so much doubt, "Come on, I'll get you a drink." She nodded, closing the door over.


	57. Christmas Night

**Christmas Night**

* * *

"Hey, you feeling better?" AJ smiled, dropping what she was doing in the kitchen once she saw Jude walk in. She was wearing some sweats of Cassie's and a t-shirt, and her hair was slightly damp from her shower.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "Mom, I'm sorry."

"What?" AJ shook her head, "Why are you sorry?"

"I was really late and… and I wasn't ready and I shouldn't have come looking like that-"

"Hey, baby it's ok." AJ nodded, "You're fine. You're here now and we can have a good day, ok?" She smiled as Jude looked at her worriedly, "Sweetie, what's wrong? You're worrying me." AJ told her truthfully as Jude looked at her.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Jude nodded.

"I'm your mom. You can tell me absolutely anything." AJ reminded her, "Where were you last night?"

"Just a party." Jude assured her. She'd spent the entire morning telling herself that. Just a party. That's where she was. It was just a party and she was fine.

"Ok, but… what happened at the party? Did you have too much to drink? Did you get home really late?" AJ asked, trying to keep it casual, not over dramatizing anything to make Jude feel like she was being questioned.

"I uh… I think I just had too much to drink." Jude nodded to herself, "Yeah." She confirmed, "I think it was just too much to drink."

"Ok." AJ nodded, "Do you need some medicine? Have you got a headache?"

"No, I just feel kinda sick." Jude admitted as AJ nodded.

"Ok, just drink some water just now." AJ said, walking over to the fridge and taking a bottle of water out, "Keep yourself hydrated." She said as Jude nodded.

"Ok." Jude said, taking the water from her, "I'm sorry I forgot the presents."

"It's ok. Stop apologising." AJ smiled, "We'll get the presents tomorrow." She nodded.

"Yeah…yeah, let's do that." Jude nodded.

"Why don't you go into the living room and open yours up?" AJ nodded.

"Ok." Jude said as AJ smiled, watching her walk away out of the kitchen, her smile fading as she stood with worry. As a mother who was extremely close to all three of her daughters, she knew when something was going on with one of them.

"Hey, you ready to open your presents?" Punk smiled, placing his hand on Jude's back as she jumped a little, moving slightly away from him as Punk looked at her with confusion.

"Actually Jude, can I talk to you for a second?" Kirsty asked.

"Oh… you're here." Jude noticed.

"Yeah, come here." Kirsty said, taking Jude's hand and pulling her out of the living room whilst Punk looked over at Thea with the same confused look.

"When did you get here?" Jude asked.

"Jude, where the hell were you? You didn't come back home last night. Did you… did you go to Sean's?" Kirsty hoped worriedly as Jude looked at her.

Going to Sean's was the easy answer for her, the answer that didn't lead to any questions.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "Yeah, I went to Sean's." She smiled.

"Ok." Kirsty sighed with relief, "Well next time text me about it or answer your calls." Kirsty said with frustration as Jude looked at her worriedly, "When did you leave the party?"

"Uh… I… 1am." Jude made up. Truth was, she had no idea when she left the party, she couldn't remember leaving the party. All she knew was the horror of waking up this morning.

"Are you hungover? You look it." Kirsty said, honestly. As Jude's best friend, she didn't hold back.

"I just feel a little sick." Jude nodded.

"Hey, you coming to open your presents?" Thea asked, walking into the hallway.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Jude said, walking back into the living room whilst Thea stood in the hallway with Kirsty.

"She said she went to Sean's after the party." Kirsty nodded, relieved.

"Ok." Thea sighed with relief, "Why did she come straight here, though? Looking like that?"

"Maybe they had a fight or something." Kirsty said, "She's acting strange." She said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, she is." Thea agreed.

"Maybe it's just the hangover." Kirsty assumed. None of them could really think otherwise about any other possibilities.

"Yeah, maybe." Thea agreed, "I'm gonna see if my mom needs help with anything." She said, walking on down to the kitchen where AJ was frantically fixing up dinner, "You need a hand?"

"No, I'm ok." AJ nodded.

"She went to Sean's." Thea said as AJ looked over, "She told Kirsty. She must have came straight from his place."

"Looking like that?" AJ shook her head.

"Yeah, I don't know…" Thea sighed.

"She's not acting like herself. I know my daughter." AJ said seriously.

"Look, maybe it's just a hangover. Hell, maybe she's still kinda drunk." Thea said, "Take it from me, you can act weird with a hangover." She said.

"She's not acting hungover. She… she looks scared." AJ said.

"Well… hangovers can be scary." Thea teased as AJ sighed, "Look, she's just had a rough night. She'll be fine." Thea convinced herself, "Get some Christmas dinner in her and she'll be fine." Thea nodded.

"I hope so. Where is she right now?" AJ asked.

"Opening presents." Thea nodded, "You sure you don't need a hand with anything?" She asked.

"No, you go relax. Everything is just about done." AJ assured her as Thea nodded.

She made her way back into the living room where Jude was opening some presents slowly, taking her time with each one. Her sister just wasn't acting right, there was no hiding it. Whether it was just a hangover or not, she was acting strange. Now just seemed like a difficult time to talk to her about it, and taking her word was all they could do.

* * *

Everyone eventually moved into the kitchen for dinner, sitting around the table like they did every year and tucking into the feast AJ and Punk had prepared, sitting around the table and enjoying everyone's company.

"Hey, you not hungry?" Dominic asked Jude, sitting beside her at the table, noticing she wasn't touching any food.

"Not really." Jude gulped. Just the smell of the food was making her feel sick. She couldn't stomach the thought of putting anything in her mouth.

"This is like every hungover persons dream." Dominic chuckled.

"I'm not hungover." Jude said, alert enough to hear people saying she was hungover. She wasn't hungover. She knew she wasn't. She felt sick thinking about how she had woken up this morning.

Dominic just nodded, looking across the table at Thea who just shook her head cautiously.

"Hey, you wanna see a picture of James this morning?" Dominic took his phone out as Jude looked on, "Thea got him a Simba the size of his nursery practically."

"Let's not be dramatic." Thea smiled as Dominic got the picture up.

"That's sweet." Jude nodded calmly as Thea watched her. It was as if something had taken that fun, upbeat energy her sister always had, and dialled it all the way down.

"I don't know where the hell we're gonna put it." Dominic chuckled.

"I like it in the living room." Thea nodded.

"Thea." Dominic scoffed, "That thing isn't staying in the living room."

"Why not?" Thea chuckled.

Jude looked around the table, listening in to everybody chatting, feeling like the whole room was spinning. Everything felt louder than what it was, and the sound of forks hitting plates was making her jump. Her skin constantly felt like something was on it, and she truly had never felt so uncomfortable in all her life. So warm and disturbed.

"I uh… I gotta go." Jude stood up, feeling extremely nauseous the more she sat thinking.

"Where are you going?" Punk asked her as she stood back from the table, turning around and throwing up in the sink behind her as AJ stood up.

"Hey, you ok?" AJ shook her head, walking around the table over to Jude, rubbing her back softly, noticing tears were running down her cheeks, "Jude." AJ shook her head, "Sweetie, are you ok?"

"Yeah." Jude forced out, "I just… I don't feel very well."

"I think she needs to go lie down." Thea suggested as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, ok." AJ agreed, watching Jude rinse her mouth out, "You wanna go lie down?"

"Yes." Jude said desperately. The thought of being on her own, without anyone talking, without hearing laughter around her, sounded so good.

"Ok." AJ nodded, walking out of the kitchen with her.

"I can go on my own." Jude assured her, walking away on her own and heading upstairs as AJ ran her hands through her hair.

"Kirsty, what happened last night?" Punk asked across the table.

"Nothing. We just went to this party." Kirsty said, "I left early and Jude was getting ready to go home too. Then she must have gone to Sean's. She wasn't drunk when I left her." Kirsty said.

"Whose party?" Punk shook his head.

"I'm not sure whose party it was. It was just a ton of people from college." Kirsty nodded "A guy in our class invited us."

"What guy?" Thea looked up as Kirsty looked over at her.

"Uh… Jeremy." Kirsty nodded as Thea raised her eyebrows, turning to Dominic who immediately went tense.

"Excuse me." Thea stood up immediately, rushing out of the kitchen and sprinting upstairs.

"What's going on?" AJ shook her head as Dominic looked over at them.

"Thea's just worried about her." Dominic nodded calmly. He didn't want to alarm anyone about anything.

Thea got to the top of the stairs, rushing towards her parents' bedroom, trying to open when she realised it was locked.

"Jude, can you open the door?" Thea asked quietly.

"I'm sleeping." Jude answered.

"Please." Thea nodded, "I just want to talk to you." She said.

She heard some movement in the room, listening as Jude unlocked the door and opened it.

"I just wanna lie down for an hour or two." Jude nodded to her, "I don't feel good. Maybe it is a hangover or… maybe I ate something last night, I don't know-" Jude paused as she watched Thea walk into the room and close the door behind her, "What are you doing?"

"Please tell me what happened last night." Thea nodded as Jude looked at her.

"What?" Jude shook her head, "I… I went to Sean's after the party-"

"Did you?" Thea questioned as Jude looked at her, backing up a little.

"Yes." Jude said.

"You don't have to lie to me." Thea assured her, "What happened?" She whispered as Jude shook her head.

"Nothing." Jude said, agitated by the questioning, "Nothing happened. Can you just get out of the room, please? I just… I just want to lie down. I just want to be alone for a minute." She said desperately as Thea looked at her.

"So when Sean comes here later on, he'll confirm you were with him the entire night?" Thea asked as Jude looked across at her.

"Well he… he was sleeping so… maybe he didn't hear me come in-"

"Jude." Thea shook her head, "What happened?"

"Nothing." Jude said, "Why are you asking me like that?" She said with frustration, "Stop it."

"Then just tell me where you really were and what happened?" She shook her head, "Please."

"Thea, I just wanna lie down. Please can you just go away." Jude begged, "Please, I just need a minute." She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Jude." Thea placed her hand over her mouth, taking a deep breath, "Who invited you to the party?" She asked her seriously as Jude looked across at her, shaking her head, "Just tell me what I'm thinking is wrong. Please. And then I'll stop asking." She nodded, crouching down in front of her.

"I don't know what you're thinking." Jude whispered.

"Did someone hurt you last night?" Thea asked her as Jude gulped, looking at her sister, shaking her head, not wanting to believe it herself, but after waking up this morning, she knew what had happened, but it just felt like such a blur.

"I think so." Jude whispered.


	58. Something Happened

**Something Happened**

* * *

"Ok, what happened?" Thea asked, crouching down in front of Jude, "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know." Jude whispered as Thea looked across at her.

"Babe, what do you mean you don't know?" Thea shook her head.

"Hey." Punk knocked on the door, walking into the room as Thea quickly stood up, "You feeling ok?" He asked Jude who nodded. She looked past her father at Thea, "What's going on?" He turned to Thea who looked nervous.

Thea saw Jude behind Punk, shaking her head and pleading to not say anything, and so she didn't.

"I think she's just sick." Thea nodded as Punk turned back to Jude.

"Yeah I just don't feel good at all." Jude nodded, "I just wanna lie down."

"Ok." Punk nodded, "Ok, well no one is mad at you, ok? These things happen." Punk rubbed her shoulder softly as Jude nodded, forcing a smile.

"Thanks." Jude nodded.

"If you feel better just come down. Your mom has wrapped up your dinner in case you get hungry later." He said as Jude smiled and nodded.

"Ok, thanks dad." Jude smiled.

"You coming down?" Punk asked Thea who shook her head.

"No, we're… we're just talking. I'll be down soon." Thea said.

"Oh." Punk nodded. He only assumed they were talking about their fight, and he was glad they were talking at all, "Ok, I'll go." He smiled to them both, leaving the bedroom and closing the door over as he headed back downstairs.

"Please don't tell anyone." Jude begged.

"Tell anyone what? You need to tell me what happened." Thea shook her head as Jude shook her head, fidgeting with shaking hands, tears welling in her eyes as Thea watched, "Ok, look at me… I'm not gonna tell anyone. But if someone hurt you, you need to… Jude, you need to go to the police, and the hospital-"

"No… no, I don't wanna do that." Jude shook her head with fear.

"Tell me what happened this morning." Thea said, "Where…" She paused. She couldn't believe she was having to ask her little sister this, "Where did you wake up?" She questioned as Jude went still, thinking about it, the horror of it.

"I uh… I woke up in a bed." Jude said, "And I had… no clothes on." She said, her voice breaking slightly. She wasn't sure she could actually have said this aloud to anyone other than her sister.

Thea placed her hand over her mouth, tears threatening to pour out too.

"Do you think…" Thea didn't want to ask.

"I feel like I had sex last night." Jude said quietly, "But I… I didn't have a lot to drink. I promise I didn't." She said, "I just… I can't remember going home. I can't even remember leaving the bar. All I remember is getting there, having a couple drinks with Kirsty and then she left… everything else I can't remember."

"When you woke up this morning? You didn't see anyone?" Thea asked.

"No, there was no one in the house." Jude said, "I got out and I just… I walked here." She said, "You can't tell Sean about this, I uh… I wouldn't have cheated on him, I didn't want to-"

"Jude." Thea said in shock at what her sister was saying, what she wasn't understanding, "Look at me." She nodded, crouching down in front of Jude who looked at her, "Someone raped you." She made clear, "You didn't cheat. You were raped." She said, her heart-breaking having to say it out loud to her.

"What?" Jude said. It was something she already knew but just couldn't accept it. She couldn't understand it. Especially when she couldn't remember what happened.

"Someone drugged you and raped you." Thea looked at her as Jude stared at her blankly, "And you need to go to the police."

"No… no…" Jude cried, "No, Sean's there… please, I don't wanna go to the police-"

"Jude, you can't just forget this happened. You have to tell someone. You have to go to the hospital and make sure you're ok. I mean are you… are you hurt?" Thea asked, rubbing Jude's shoulders softly.

"No… I… I think I'm ok. I feel a little sick but…" She shrugged as Thea looked at her. She could see her sister wasn't registering anything. She wasn't believing that she had been raped. She looked like she was in a permanent daze.

"When do you start remembering things?" Thea asked her.

"I just remember waking up this morning. That's it." Jude said.

"Would you be able to tell me where the house was you came from?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, it was… it was across from the park." Jude said.

"The park?" Thea asked, puzzled. That wasn't where the house was she visited Jeremy in to threaten him, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm positive." Jude nodded as Thea nodded.

"Ok." Thea nodded calmly. She was trying so hard not to freak out and cry. Her sister definitely didn't need that right now. She needed assurance and support.

"You can't tell anyone." Jude repeated.

"Jude, please… you need to let me take you to the cops." Thea said, "Someone has raped you. They… They need to find that person and arrest them. You don't let people get away with this."

"Maybe I said yes… maybe-"

"Jude, don't." Thea shook her head. It was very obvious what had happened here.

"I keep feeling like I'm naked." Jude whispered as Thea looked at her.

"Ok… ok, you should get into bed." Thea said as Jude nodded, pulling back the covers and getting into her parents bed, "Do you need anything?"

"No." Jude whispered.

"Ok." Thea nodded, "I'll let you sleep and I'll… I'll come back up soon." She promised as Jude nodded.

"Ok." Jude said tiredly, watching Thea leave the bedroom.

Thea closed the bedroom door over, placing her hand over her mouth and crying immediately. Her heart felt like it was physically in pain. She felt so hopeless. The fact nothing could be undone, the fact she couldn't help her sister. The fact this had happened was heart-breaking and terrifying at the same time.

She went into the bathroom, drying her tears and fixing her make-up, noticing Jude's clothes sitting in the corner behind the door. She picked them up and found a bag upstairs to put them in, taking it downstairs and sitting it beside her purse behind the couch.

"Hey." Dominic appeared in the living room as Thea turned around, her eyes still slightly puff, "Hey, what's going on?" He asked her.

"Oh, nothing." Thea waved her hand, trying to act fine, but it was very difficult.

"Is she ok? What happened?" Dominic asked.

"She's… she's fine." Thea nodded. She could barely say it. Her sister was not fine.

"What happened last night?" Dominic asked, "Look I know something is wrong, I can tell by your face." He said, "What happened?" He asked as Thea looked at him. She couldn't keep things from her husband. She just couldn't.

"She was raped." Thea whispered, still in shock as Dominic looked at her.

"What?" Dominic shook his head as Thea nodded.

"I uh… I don't know what to do. She doesn't wanna go to the cops and I… she doesn't want anyone to know." Thea said.

"How… who did… Oh my God." Dominic ran his hand over his face, "Oh my God, is she… is she hurt?"

"I don't know. She won't tell me much." Thea said.

"Was it that guy? That guy you said-"

"I don't know. She told me where the house was and that's not where the house I went to was." Thea said, "So I don't know." Thea shook her head.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" AJ asked, walking into the living room as Dominic turned around whilst Thea looked over, "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, fine." Thea smiled, "I was just telling Dominic that me and Jude talked it out."

"Oh, really?" AJ smiled, "That's good." She nodded, "I think she's really not well. Coming down with the flu or something."

"Yeah, she's lying down in your bed right now." Thea nodded.

"Maybe a few hours of sleep will help her out." AJ nodded, "You guys coming back in?"

"Yeah, we'll be there in a minute." Dominic nodded as AJ smiled, walking back out and into the kitchen, "Ok, she has to go to the cops." Dominic turned to Thea, "Whilst she still might have… DNA on her-"

"She's taken a shower." Thea said, "I've bagged up her clothes here so that they don't get washed." She said, "I don't think she actually realises what's happened to her."

"She doesn't remember anything?" Dominic asked.

"She doesn't even remember leaving the bar." Thea said as Dominic sighed, "What am I supposed to do? I can't… I can't go back in there and enjoy the rest of my Christmas dinner… I have to do something."

"What about calling Sean?" Dominic suggested.

"She said she doesn't want him to know." Thea said as Dominic sighed, "I just… maybe she just needs to sleep for a little bit and then I'll talk to her again." She nodded.

"What about your mom and dad? Are you gonna tell them?" Dominic asked.

"No, I can't. She doesn't want me to tell anyone. I feel bad enough telling you about it." Thea shook her head, "What am I supposed to do?"

"She can't not tell anyone. They gotta catch this person, whoever it was." Dominic said, "Maybe if she gets some sleep she'll wake up thinking a little clearer."

"I don't know if she will. She looks terrified and… traumatised." Thea shook her head, "I can't… what if I could have done something?"

"Thea, you can't do that to yourself." Dominic said.

"What if I could have? What if it was Jeremy?" Thea questioned, "And me threatening him just… provoked him?" She panicked.

"You don't know anything just now." Dominic said, "And you can't blame yourself. You didn't know this could have happened."

"That's my little sister. I'm supposed to look out for her." Thea shook her head, placing her hand on her forehead. She couldn't believe this was happening. She, herself, felt sick to her stomach at what had happened to her sister. She just wished she could have done something. She was torturing herself with all the things she could have done to prevent this.

"Let her sleep for a couple hours. She's probably feeling the effects of whatever drugs she was given." He said, "When she wakes up maybe she'll even remember some more."

"I just wanna go up and lie beside her." Thea shook her head as Dominic sighed, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"I don't… I don't know what to say." Dominic sighed. He really didn't. It was haunting and so upsetting, especially because no one could really do anything to make it go away. They couldn't reverse time and stop it. It had happened and they had no idea what to do.


	59. Denial

**Denial**

* * *

Thea and Dominic pulled themselves together, making it through the rest of Christmas dinner the best they could. Thea had to excuse herself from the table every now and then, where she would go upstairs and check on Jude who appeared to be sleeping through the entire day.

It was impossible to enjoy anything, knowing what they knew, and they were finding it hard putting on a smile and pretending to everyone that everything was fine.

"I can't do this. I can't keep faking a smile and conversation with everyone." Thea whispered to Dominic as they headed into the living room after finishing Christmas dinner, which they forced themselves to eat with very little appetite.

"I know." Dominic sighed, "I know." He nodded, "But what can we do?" Dominic asked. They were stuck in between respecting Jude's wishes, but also wanting her to do the right thing and go to the police.

"I'm… I'm gonna go check on her again." Thea said nervously, walking away and heading upstairs.

She reached the top of the stairs, walking into her parents' bedroom and looking over where Jude was lying, awake this time.

"Hey." Thea smiled softly, closing the bedroom door over behind her as Jude sat up a little in bed.

"Hey." Jude said quietly as Thea looked over at her.

"How are you feeling?" Thea asked her.

"I'm… I'm fine." Jude nodded as Thea walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge beside her, "Is everyone still here? What time is it?" She wondered, not knowing how long she was asleep for.

"It's 8." Thea said, "Everyone is still here." She nodded, noticing the sadness on Jude's face as she realised it wasn't late enough for everyone to have disappeared yet.

"Oh, wait… Sean was gonna come at 8." Jude said frantically, "You have to call him and tell him he can't come." She said, sitting up, "Where is my phone? You need to get me my phone. I don't know where it is-"

"Hey hey… it's ok." Thea nodded, "Calm down." She said as Jude looked at her, "Don't you think it's best if Sean comes? Maybe… maybe you should talk to him-"

"No… No, I don't want to." Jude said as Thea looked at her.

"Jude… please. You need to go to the police. I will come with you, I'll be in the room with you, I'll stay with you the entire time." Thea promised as Jude looked at her with fear, "But please… you have to tell someone about this."

"I don't want anyone to know." Jude shook her head quietly, "Mom or dad."

"Ok." Thea nodded, "Ok… but you'll go to the police?" She asked as Jude looked at her.

"What if… what if I start to remember it and-"

"Jude, I know you don't want to think about it or talk about it, or believe it even… but it happened and you can't just ignore it." Thea said. She felt awful having to tell her sister to do anything after what she'd been through, but she couldn't let her not report this. The longer it got put off, the more it wouldn't get dealt with, "Take it from me, avoiding things makes it ten times worse." Thea nodded as Jude looked across at her.

"But I don't know what happened." Jude said, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes, "I don't know who it was and I don't know what happened." She said, "How will they ever take me seriously?"

"Because they damn well will." Thea said seriously, "You were drugged. Obviously you can't remember what happened." She said, "But that doesn't mean you forget about it." She said.

"What if he finds out?" Jude said, fidgeting with her shaking hands.

"Who?" Thea asked.

"Sean." Jude said.

"He should know about this." Thea said, "And if he works at the station, he might end up fighting out."

"No… no, I don't want him to know." Jude cried, "No, I can't do it… I'm not telling anyone… I… I don't even know if it actually happened… maybe it didn't… maybe-"

"Jude." Thea pleaded, taking her sister's hands in hers, "Please." She shook her head.

"I can't." Jude shook her head, taking her hands back and getting out of the bed, "I'm fine. It's fine-"

"Jude, it is not fine." Thea shook her head frantically, "You're probably in shock."

"No, I'm just… I'm just being paranoid. I'm fine." Jude nodded, "God, I should go downstairs and say hi to people." She nodded to herself.

"Jude." Thea shook her head. She could see her sister was just running on shock, on worry and nerves, "Jude, please-"

"No, I've been in here all day. I gotta go say hi to people." She nodded, opening up the bedroom door and walking out.

"Wait, Jude…" Thea walked after her, watching her walk downstairs and head into the living room.

She couldn't really put into words how her sister was reacting. It was denial in its fullest form. To see someone she loved so much, so terrified and traumatised was breaking her heart, and she felt so helpless. She didn't know how to handle the situation. How to help her sister. The damage was already done and that was the most upsetting thing.

"Hey." Jude walked into the living room where everybody was gathered around on the floor and sofa, stuffed from Christmas dinner.

"Oh, hey." AJ smiled, sitting on Punk's knee, getting up, "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Jude smiled as Thea appeared into the living room behind, looking over at Dominic who was looking over at her wearily.

"You feeling a little better after your sleep?" AJ asked as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jude repeated.

"Hey, your dinner is still out there if you wanna grab some." Punk nodded to her, "Or there's some pie if you wanna go straight for the dessert."

"Maybe later." Jude smiled, "Shoot, I can't believe I forgot your presents." She shook her head as Thea watched her cautiously.

"Jude." Thea whispered.

"You know what, I can run out and get them, bring them over." Jude said.

"Don't be silly, Jude. Just relax." Dean nodded to her, "Why don't you go get yourself a drink and come sit down?" He smiled.

"Yeah… yeah, I think I will actually." Jude smiled, leaving the living room.

"She seems much better." AJ said, sitting back down on Punk's lap.

"Yeah, maybe she just needed a nap to recharge." Punk nodded as Thea rubbed her forehead stressfully, leaving the living room and heading through to the kitchen where Jude had disappeared to.

"Jude." Thea said, watching her sister pour herself a glass of wine, "What are you doing?"

"Having a drink. It's Christmas." Jude nodded casually.

"You can't… you can't just ignore this." Thea said, walking over to her, taking the glass of wine from her.

"What are you doing?" Jude shook her head.

"I don't know you're feeling right now and I have no right to tell you how to act right now, but… as your sister, please… you have to go to the police, Jude. Ok, screw everyone else and what they think… this is about you, your safety, your… dignity." Thea shook her head as Jude looked across at her, "You can't let whoever did this to you get away with it… I just… I'm so sorry." Thea shook her head as Jude watched her in shock, "If I could change places with you I would." She said. And she meant that. In a heartbeat.

"Jude. We've got a visitor!" AJ called from down the hall as Jude continued to look at Thea. Seeing her sister upset and emotional, listening to her words, that's what made it real, that's what made it sink in, and that's when it hurt the most. Her own mind was desperately trying to divert her attention.

"Hey." Sean appeared in the kitchen with a smile as Jude turned to him, "Merry Christmas." He smiled cheerfully as Jude looked at him, "Are you ok?" He wondered, turning to Thea who was looking the opposite direction to avoid him noticing her tears.

"Yeah." Jude smiled immediately, finding strength from somewhere, "Merry Christmas." She smiled, wrapping her arms around him tightly as he hugged her back, kissing her head.

"Have you had a good day?" Sean asked as Thea sighed to herself, "Hey, Merry Christmas Jude." Sean nodded as Thea turned around.

"Merry Christmas, Sean." Thea nodded.

"Let's go into the living room. My mom has presents for you." Jude smiled to Sean as Thea watched her.

"God, I hope she didn't go overboard." Sean said, wrapping his arm around Jude, leaving the kitchen with her as Thea ran her hands through her hair, her own hands shaking as she placed them on the chair.

"Hey." Dominic walked into the kitchen, "What the hell is going on?" Dominic shook his head, "She's just… she's acting like nothing has happened."

"Who the hell are we to say how she should be acting right now." Thea shook her head, "I just… I don't know what to do. I want her to deal with it in her own ways but… she needs to go to the police."

"And she's said she doesn't want to?" Dominic asked.

"No, she's adamant she's not. She was even trying to tell herself that she was just being paranoid and that maybe nothing happened." Thea said.

"What if… nothing did happen?" Dominic wondered as Thea looked at him.

"She told me she woke up naked in the bed." Thea said, "And that she felt like she'd had sex." She shook her head, placing her hand over her mouth as Dominic sighed to himself.

"What about Sean? Is she gonna tell him?" Dominic asked.

"She doesn't want to." Thea said, "She doesn't want to tell anyone." She said, "And look I… I don't blame her. And I don't know how she's feeling right now, I can't even imagine it but… the right thing for me to do right now is get her to the police station, isn't it? Tell me I'm doing the right thing here… if I'm not then I'll… I don't know, I'll just be a shoulder to cry or on or a support system but… just tell me the right thing is for her to go the cops." Thea nodded. She needed to hear it from somewhere else.

"She needs to go to the cops." Dominic nodded, "But… it has to be when she's ready." He said as Thea looked at him and nodded.

"God, can you… pour that glass of wine down the sink, please." Thea said, looking over at the glass of wine Jude had poured.

"Sure." Dominic nodded, taking the glass and pouring the wine down the sink.

"I could down every single one of those bottles right now." Thea nodded, looking over at the wine and spirits sitting over on the counter.

"I'd pour them all down the sink but I think your mom and dad would be pissed after buying it all in." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"Dominic, I don't know what to do." Thea shook her head, "I don't. I can't believe she was…" She shook her head, not being able to say it. It just didn't feel real. It was hurting her so bad that she couldn't even imagine how her sister was actually feeling.

"Come here." Dominic sighed, pulling her into his arms as she hugged into him tightly, "We're gonna be there for her, and we're gonna help her and do everything we can." He said, kissing her head as Thea sighed against him.

Sam made her way into the kitchen with an empty wine glass, looking over at Thea and Dominic, pausing for a second.

"Thea." Sam said as Thea broke away from Dominic's hug.

"What?" Thea shook her head.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong with Jude or… are you waiting on me asking?" Sam asked as Thea looked across at her.

"W-What?" Thea shook her head defensively.

"What's happened to her?" Sam questioned, "She's in there acting like a crazy person. She shows up here looking like she spent the night in a dumpster. She sleeps all the way through dinner." Sam said, "Start talking." She nodded as Thea looked at Dominic with a gulp.


	60. Let It Out

**Let It Out**

* * *

"She's fine." Thea nodded as Sam looked across at her.

"She doesn't look fine." Sam said, "Come on, Jude is annoyingly always the first person to arrive for Christmas. She loves giving her presents to people." Sam said, "She's not acting like herself."

"She's just not feeling well." Thea said.

"She didn't go home last night, did she?" Sam nodded. She wasn't stupid. She'd taken notice of how Jude was acting, especially when she first came into the house earlier. And she could see Thea constantly checking on her, whispering in the corner with Dominic every now and then. She knew something was wrong. Perhaps very wrong.

"Sam, what the hell do you care? Just… here… have another glass of wine and let it go over your head, ok?" Thea nodded.

"No, she is acting strange and there's obviously a reason." Sam said, "And you know the reason, I can see it on your face." She pointed as Thea shook her head, "So what happened? What's going on?"

"Nothing is going on." Thea said, "Jude was out last night and she came straight here. It happens. She's not feeling good and she's trying to push through it because she doesn't want to be rude." She said. She hated being in this position where she had to lie to her family, but her sister's confidentiality was more important to her right now. She was still having a hard time believing it herself.

"You're a big fat liar." Sam shook her head, pouring herself another glass of wine.

"Who is a big fat liar?" Punk asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Your daughter." Sam said.

"Which one?" Punk chuckled as Thea rolled her eyes.

"This one." Sam pointed to Thea, "Aren't you supposed to be a doctor?" Sam questioned as Thea screwed her face up, turning to Dominic, not sure how Sam's comment was relating to anything they were talking about.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thea shook her head.

"I don't quite know." Sam admitted as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you've had too many of them." He nodded to her glass of wine.

"Maybe you've just had too little, baby." Sam patted his arm, walking back out of the kitchen as Punk widened his eyes and shook his head.

"Ok then." Punk said, "Moving on from Sam's annual drunk arguments, what's up with you two? I feel like I've barely saw you all day."

"Nothing's up." Thea shook her head.

"Why is she calling you a liar?" Punk chuckled a little, but still with some curiosity, opening up some leftovers to eat.

"She's drunk." Thea shook her head, "Hey is mom excited for Hawaii?" She asked, trying desperately just to divert the conversation, divert her mind, but Jude wasn't leaving it.

"Yeah, I think she's already packing." Punk chuckled, "She deserves it, you know? She's been working hard this past year."

"Yeah, I know." Thea nodded.

"So… do you know what happened with Jude last night?" Punk asked curiously, "It's a bit out of character for her to show up… like that." He said.

"She was just at a party." Thea said. She could barely bring herself to say it. To not be able to tell someone that her sister needed help was torture. She felt stuck between shock and not knowing what to do.

"She seems a little better now." Punk nodded to himself. Of course he was oblivious. He just thought his daughter maybe had too much to drink at a party last night and was feeling the effects of it this morning. Never would his mind have went elsewhere.

"Yeah." Thea just nodded, turning to Dominic who just sighed, "I uh… I might see if she wants to stay with us tonight." She said, "Where is James?"

"Cassie is playing with him." Punk nodded, "Are you guys gonna come in or stay out here all night?" He asked them.

"I suppose we have to come in." Thea nodded, heading through to the living room where she saw Jude sitting with Sean, acting fairly normal.

"Thea, you're up for charades." Dean nodded, "Go give us one of your finest performances."

"I think I'll bow out of this one." Thea nodded.

"No, go on." Dean said.

"I'm fine." Thea said.

"Go on." Sam encouraged.

"I don't want to play, alright?!" Thea said aggressively as Punk and AJ both turned to her.

"Thea." AJ shook her head, "Calm down."

"You know what… I uh… I'm gonna go feed James." Thea nodded, walking over and picking James up from Cassie.

"He's fine." Cassie said.

"Yeah well I'm his mom." Thea said, lifting James up into her arms, standing in the centre of the living room as they all watched her, "What are you all looking at?" Thea spat.

"Thea, what is wrong with you?" AJ sat up, shaking her head with confusion.

"Nothing is wrong." Thea said, turning to Jude who sat quietly, "Nothing." She shook her head, leaving the living room and going upstairs with James.

"What the hell was that about?" AJ turned to Punk who shook his head with confusion.

"What's up with her?" Sean asked Jude who just shook her head slowly.

"I don't know." Jude said.

"She's been acting weird since I got in." Sean noticed.

"She's just being Thea." Jude said in a trance, losing her train of thought every now and then as she got flashbacks of waking up this morning, her whole body freezing every time she thought about it, desperately trying to block it out and forget about it.

"Why don't you go check on her?" Sean asked.

"Who?" Jude turned to him.

"Thea." Sean said as Jude nodded to herself.

"Y-Yeah… yeah, ok." Jude nodded, standing up from the couch and leaving the living room.

She headed upstairs, checking her parent's bedroom only to find it empty. She then checked all the other rooms and realised her sister was gone.

* * *

"T!" Dominic walked into their house later on that night, putting down the gifts and bags he'd come home with from AJ and Punks house. He knew he'd have to make a few trips with how much gifts James had gotten.

"Thea!" Dominic called, walking through the house and towards the kitchen where he saw Thea sitting at the back door on the step, smoke blowing away in the dark air, "Busted." He smiled as Thea turned around.

"God, I don't even care." Thea shook her head, continuing to smoke her cigarette, "It was either this, or four bottles of wine on the way home."

"Yeah, thanks for leaving me to walk home with all the gifts." Dominic said, joining her on the step.

"I'm sorry." Thea sighed, placing her hand on his leg, "I just couldn't stay in that house a minute longer."

"Yeah, I figured." Dominic said, "Your parents were concerned. I had to tell them it was still kinda tense between you and Jude, from your fight a few days ago. I think they bought it but your dad was starting to look pissed. That's' when I obviously decided to come home." He said.

"When they find out about this my dad's gonna end up in prison again." Thea groaned, "For murder this time." She shook her head, "Maybe my mom will go with him too."

"That's not gonna be the case." Dominic said as Thea sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Now I'm hoping that you took our son home? I didn't forget him under a pile of wrapping somewhere in your parents' house did I?" He said as Thea smiled.

"He's in his crib." Thea smiled as Dominic nodded, "Dominic I don't know what I'm gonna do." She said, "What if it was that guy? Jeremy?" She shook her head.

"Jude said it was a different house. And I mean… it sounds to me like whoever it was, she didn't even know." Dominic said.

"All she remembers is waking up this morning. It could definitely be someone she knows." Thea said, "How was she when I left? Still acting like nothing had happened?"

"Pretty much." Dominic nodded, "Sam got progressively more drunk so your dad put her out."

"Well, it is Christmas after all." Thea said, "Happens every year." She nodded, "I just… I can't wrap my head around any of this. I mean… you hear about things like this and it's… it's bad enough, and you feel for those people who go through that sort of attack… but you don't really think it happens to anyone you know." She shook her head.

"Yeah, I know." Dominic sighed, "When you left I was sort of sitting thinking about it and I remembered you saying about the sexual assaults that were happening to girls at the institute." He said as Thea turned to him.

"Oh my God…" Thea realised, "I didn't even… I didn't even think about that." She shook her head, "Oh my God, you think it's the same person who's doing it?"

"Either that or it's a massive coincidence." Dominic said, "But if it is, this guy needs to be stopped." He shook his head.

"She doesn't want anyone to know." Thea said, "And I know my sister, she'll do everything to make sure no one finds out about this. I'm scared she just ignores it all together and pretends it never happened-"

"I don't think she'll be able to do that." Dominic said, "She needs to tell someone… or maybe we just go handle it ourselves."

"No… no, that is not our place. She was raped. I'm not going to take that information anywhere. That's up to her." Thea shook her head.

"I know that, but the more she ignores it, the tougher it'll get." Dominic said.

"I'll talk to her. I'll make sure that she knows she can go to the police in confidence. I think we just need to give her a day or two. She's… I mean she's not even registering what happened to her yet and I don't blame her. I have no idea how I'd react to what's happened to her." Thea shook her head, "I just… I feel guilty because I knew there was something weird about that guy-"

"Yeah and you told him off-"

"What if that provoked him?" Thea asked.

"Thea, you can't put blame on yourself for this. I'm not gonna let you do that." Dominic said.

"I'm her big sister." Thea shook her head, "I'm… I'm supposed to look after them." She sighed.

"You can't put this on your shoulders." Dominic said, "We're gonna be there for her. I know you wish you could do something to prevent it but what we gotta do is now be there for her now. Support her and assure with anything she needs." He said as Thea nodded, "And make sure she knows she's safe and she's not alone."

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "I just can't get it out of my mind." She shook her head, hearing a knock at their front door, "I'll get it." She said, putting her cigarette out, "It's probably gonna be my suspicious dad." She shook her head, getting up from the back step and walking back through the kitchen and hallway.

She made it to the front door, opening it up and seeing Jude standing. She had nothing with her, no bag, no phone or purse. Just the clothes on her back, which were actually Cassie's.

"Hey." Thea said, relieved to see her.

"Hi." Jude said, "Could I… stay here tonight?" She asked. She was finding it difficult to confront what happened to her, but what she did know was that she was frightened. The fact she didn't know what someone had done to her whilst she had been drugged was more frightening than anything.

"Of course you can." Thea nodded as Jude walked into the house, closing the door behind her as Thea watched her.

Jude looked at her sister, not knowing what to say next, not having anything to say. Thea looked back, watching her sister's eyes well with tears, being able to feel her pain just by looking at her.

"Come here." Thea sighed, wrapping her arms around her as Jude hugged her tightly, crying into her shoulder, the loudest she'd cried all day. The more time went by, the more it was sinking in. The more it was becoming real.

"I know." Thea held her tightly, "Just let it out." She nodded, tears in her own eyes as she did the only thing she could do for her sister right now. Be there.


	61. Deja Vu

**Deja Vu**

* * *

"Do you guys need anything?" Dominic asked, walking into he and Thea's bedroom where Thea and Jude were sitting in.

"No, we're fine." Thea nodded to him.

"I can sleep on the couch, Dominic. This is your bed." Jude shook her head.

"No, don't worry about it." Dominic smiled, "You sure I can't bring you guys anything? Tea or coffee? Chocolate?"

"You've really trained him well." Jude smiled to Thea tiredly as she nodded, "I'll take some tea."

"I'm ok, babe." Thea assured him.

"Alright. One tea coming up." Dominic nodded, leaving the bedroom and heading back downstairs.

Meanwhile Jude had turned to Thea with a look of curiosity.

"What?" Thea shook her head.

"He knows, doesn't he?" Jude figured as Thea sighed.

"I had to tell him." Thea nodded, "He's my husband and he… he's got this annoying thing where he knows when something is wrong with me. He's not gonna tell anyone." She promised as Jude nodded.

"It's fine." Jude nodded, "I mean eventually… everyone will know." Jude realised with horror, "Mom and dad. Sean. Cass. Uncle Dean-"

"Jude, you don't have to think about what people are gonna say or do. You just… concentrate on you and what's gonna help you."

"Right now, I don't feel like anything is going to help me." Jude admitted, pulling the covers up over her as they sat up against the headboard, "I just feel numb." She shook her head as Thea nodded.

"I know." Thea nodded, "Well… I don't know, actually. But… I can only imagine." Thea said as Jude nodded, "Do you… mind if I ask you some things?" She wondered.

She could tell Jude was a little brighter than before. There didn't seem to be the same denial about her. But it wasn't hard to see how badly this was effecting her.

"No, ask whatever you want." Jude nodded bravely. She knew in the back of her head that she wasn't going to be able to hide this from everyone forever, and part of her didn't want to. She didn't want to deal with this on her own.

"When you woke up this morning…" Thea said as Jude closed her eyes. It was something she couldn't stop thinking about all day. Waking up.

"Yeah?" Jude nodded.

"Did you see anything in the room that… that would help you figure out who did this? Whose house you were in?" Thea wondered.

"No, it was just a house." Jude shook her head.

Thea figured if she could ease Jude into talking about it, if she was comfortable, it could possibly help her, even if it just helped a tiny bit. She had to try everything to make her sister not feel alone.

"How far was it from the bar?" Thea asked.

"Well the house was outside the park so… like ten minutes walking distance." Jude nodded.

"And you don't remember walking home?" Thea asked.

"I don't remember leaving the bar. It goes blank. Straight to me waking up in the morning." Jude said as Thea nodded.

"Here you go, Jude." Dominic walked back into the room with tea for Jude.

"Thank you." Jude nodded, taking the tea from him.

"Shout me if you need anything, ok?" He nodded as Thea smiled to him gratefully, watching him leave the bedroom and close the door over behind him.

"I uh… I put your clothes in a bag, just so you know." Thea said, "In case you wanna go to the police and they want to check for DNA or something." She said.

"I know it's the right thing for me to do." Jude assured her, "I'm not an idiot." She said, "But I don't know if I can go into a room and tell people that whilst I was knocked out cold, someone was…" She paused, taking a deep breath, "Having sex with me." She shook her head, "I mean I… I don't know what this person did to me. I don't know how I can live with that." She admitted.

"Because you're strong, and you're not about to let this… creature, whoever it is, make you feel less than what you are." Thea said, "He will get caught. And the more chance of him getting caught is if you report it." She said as Jude nodded, she knew that, "And Dominic was saying to me that… maybe it's linked to the other attacks… the ones you told me about to do with the institute."

"I… I never even thought of that." Jude realised.

"I didn't either." Thea nodded, "I guess no one can be sure." She said as Jude nodded, "I just want you to know that you're not alone. And… whatever you decide to do, I'll be there. At any time." She said.

"I think I have to go to the police." Jude nodded, "But… I think it's best if I tell Sean first. I'd hate to have him find out through his work." She shook her head. She was now considering the possibility of going to the police. She knew it was the right thing to do, and being able to realise that on her own was vital, compared to someone telling her she needed to go and report it.

"Yeah, I think you should tell him first." Thea said as Jude nodded.

"What do I even say?" Jude shook her head, rubbing her forehead.

"You say what happened. You just tell the truth." Thea nodded.

"I really don't want to tell mom or dad." Jude shook her head, "More shit for them to worry about-"

"Hey." Thea shook her head, "You don't need to be thinking about anyone else's feelings right now besides your own." She made clear as Jude nodded, "Are you hurt? You're not in any pain, are you?" Thea asked as Jude looked at her.

"I have bruises all up my thighs." Jude nodded, "And I'm… I'm sore down there." She said as Thea looked at her, "And I uh… my wrists have burns around them." She showed Thea who sighed, "I'm no idiot. I know that I should go to the police now so that they have all this evidence." She said, "I just don't know if I can admit it all. Just makes it more real." She said as Thea nodded.

"I think you should do what's best for you right now." Thea said, "What you feel you can handle." She nodded.

"I can't handle any of this." Jude shook her head truthfully as Thea sighed, shuffling closer to her sister and wrapping her arms around her, brushing her hair out of the way.

"You can." Thea nodded, "You're the toughest bitch I know." She said, "Way tougher than the vile person who did this." She nodded as Jude leaned into her shoulder, "You're not alone." She sighed.

* * *

"Phil." AJ nudged Punk through the night in bed, "Someone is knocking at the door."

"Huh?" Punk lifted his head from the pillow suddenly, "What? You ok?" He asked sleepily.

"I'm fine but someone is knocking at the door." AJ nodded. She hadn't been sleeping anyway, she couldn't.

"What time is it?" Punk grumbled tiredly.

"2am." AJ said as Punk huffed.

"Ok, I'll… I'll go check it out." Punk said tiredly, getting out of bed and walking to their bedroom door.

"Phil." AJ snapped.

"What?" Punk turned to her, half asleep as he walked.

"You are completely naked." She cared to let him know as Punk looked down, nodding to himself and then chuckling to himself.

"Well that's not good." Punk chuckled to himself as AJ shook her head, "Uh… boxers… boxers…" He stumbled around the room, finding his boxer shorts on the floor, putting them on.

"Ok, you're good." AJ nodded, watching him leave the bedroom and head downstairs.

Punk made it to the bottom of the stairs, unlocking the door, turning the hall light on which made him screw his sleepy eyes up. He was definitely not overjoyed when he opened the door up to his mother, half-drunk standing at the door.

"Oh, it's 2am." Punk shook his head, "I don't need this right now." He made clear.

"I have something to say." Sam said, tipsy but with her wits still about her.

"Odds are I don't wanna hear it." Punk nodded, "Look, I'm good enough to let you come here every year for Christmas. Even if it makes me and Dean uncomfortable. The girls weirdly like you." He said as Sam folded her arms, "But then you take it too far and get drunk and ruin everything."

"I'm not here to talk about me." Sam said.

"What are you here to talk about then?" Punk shook his head, "What could possibly need to tell me at 2am." He yawned as Sam looked at him.

"Phil." AJ came downstairs once hearing Sam's voice, "Phil, why don't you go back to bed?" She nodded, placing her hand on his back as she came to the door.

"Yeah… yeah, you deal with her. She's more frightened of you." Punk nodded, walking away tiredly and heading upstairs as AJ looked over at Sam.

"I'm coming in." Sam announced, walking into the house, making her way down to the kitchen as AJ sighed, closing the door over and eventually heading into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" AJ asked.

"I had some déjà vu tonight." Sam nodded, "And I didn't like it." She said as AJ looked across at her.

"What are you talking about?" AJ shook her head as Sam looked across at her.

"I think you know." Sam said as AJ looked at her, "When I saw Jude come in here today… reminded me of a certain someone. A certain nineteen year old I found-"

"Sam." AJ shook her head.

"And judging by your reaction… you saw it too. You felt it." Sam said as AJ shook her head. She wouldn't believe it. She couldn't.

"I don't know what you're talking." AJ shook her head.

"Yes you do." Sam said, "Something happened to Jude last night. You know it. I know it. Thea for sure knows it." She said.

"No…" AJ whispered to herself, "No, she was just sick. That's all." AJ convinced herself, even though deep down she could see it too.

"You know that's not true." Sam said, "It's Jude. She walks into a room with the best energy." She said, "She walked in this morning like someone had died. As her mother, I know I'm not telling you things you don't already know."

"No… no, she's ok. She's fine." AJ nodded to herself. She was absolutely not letting her mind go there. Not one of her girls. She wasn't thinking about what Sam was insinuating.

"Didn't look it to me. Looked to me like someone who was extremely traumatised." Sam nodded, "You ought to talk to her. And you ought to come up with a plan to make sure his ass upstairs doesn't go murdering anyone after he finds out-"

"No… no, just… just hold on a minute." AJ shook her head, "What are you trying to say to me right now?" She questioned, "That my daughter was… was-"

"Raped." Sam nodded, "I watched her the entire day. The shock, the shower, the sleeping most of the day, throwing up at dinner, the constant 'I'm fine' she kept insisting on." Sam said.

"What and that… that means that she was sexually assaulted? That's what you gathered from that?" AJ shook her head.

"April, I know you know what I'm talking about." Sam said, "And it's ok if you're refusing to believe it. But I'd say if there's anyone Jude needs right now, it's her mother." She nodded.


	62. Already Knew

**Already Knew**

* * *

"Morning." Dominic smiled softly as he watched Jude come into the kitchen the next morning where he was feeding James.

"Hey." Jude nodded.

"Thea still sleeping?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah but to be fair I think she was just lying awake watching me sleep the entire night." Jude nodded. Anytime she stirred in bed, or woke up suddenly, she saw her sister lying awake watching her, clearly unable to fall asleep herself.

"She doesn't sleep at the best of times." Dominic nodded.

"He sure got a lot of presents yesterday." Jude smiled, looking over at James, "He's lucky."

"He is." Dominic smiled, "I have no idea where we're gonna put it all." He chuckled a little. He wasn't going to act any different with Jude. He didn't want her to feel like they were walking on eggshells around her.

"All that cardboard and plastic packaging can't be good for the environment." Jude shook her head, pouring herself some coffee.

"Definitely not." Dominic agreed.

"I'm really sorry I forgot your presents. I'll get them to you-"

"Jude, please don't worry about that." Dominic shook his head right away, "It's ok."

He'd known Jude since she was fifteen. She and Cassie had become like little sisters to him. His heart broke for her with everything she was going through. With what had been done to her.

"You won't tell anyone about this, will you?" Jude asked.

"Of course I won't. It's not my place." Dominic said, "I just want you to know that you're not alone and… if there's any part of you that's convincing yourself this was your fault or… people might blame you… it's not gonna happen."

"Yeah, right." Jude scoffed, "Come on, you read the news." She shook her head, "One of their first questions they'll ask is what I was wearing or how much I had to drink." She said, "It's how the world works right now."

"Yeah and I've never known you to accept what other people make of you." Dominic said, "This is serious-"

"I know, Dominic. I'm living it." Jude nodded, sitting down at the table.

"Then you know that… maybe there's others, maybe there will be others." Dominic said, "But there's a lesser chance of that if you report it."

"Do you think they'll take me seriously? Do you really think they'll wanna help me?" Jude asked.

"Of course they will. Why wouldn't they?" Dominic shook his head.

"Well I have a Hispanic heritage, my last name is Brooks as in… Phil Brooks, and my family has ties to one of the most notorious drug dealers in Chicago." Jude said as Dominic looked at her, "Whose to say they're gonna take me seriously."

"None of that defines you or has anything to do with this." Dominic shook his head.

"Oh, it does." Jude nodded, "My mom used to tell me all the horrible things that people and cops would say to her when she was younger. Even if she was just walking down the street with Thea when she was little." She said, "Do I really wanna go to people like that and tell them about something like this?"

* * *

"_Thea, we're gonna miss our bus." Twenty-one year old AJ said, watching three year old Thea trying to tie her laces, sitting on the bottom of the stairs in their apartment building._

"_Mommy just wait." Thea huffed._

"_Baby, you know if we miss this bus, we have to get the busy one instead." AJ said, walking over to Thea and helping her tie her laces._

"_No, I wanna do it myself." Thea folded her arms._

"_You're taking too long." AJ said, quickly tying the laces, cupping Thea's cheeks and kissing her nose, "You can untie them when we get home."_

"_Daddy always waits on me tying my laces." Thea huffed, getting up from the step, taking he rmother's hand._

"_Well I'm not daddy." AJ said, leaving their shabby apartment building and heading out into the street._

"_Hi Misses Smith." Thea waved to the older lady who was walking past them._

"_Hi, sweetie." The older lady smiled fondly._

"_I don't even know who that is." AJ whispered to Thea, walking past the lady._

"_She's the nice lady who always gives me a dollar." Thea explained, "And I think she wants to kiss daddy."_

"_Huh?" AJ looked down at Thea, skipping beside her holding her hand._

"_But it's ok mommy I don't think he wants to kiss her." Thea assured her mother._

"_That's ok then." AJ nodded, "Baby, I need to stop at the ATM for a second, ok?" She nodded._

"_Ok." Thea nodded, walking over to the ATM with her mother, standing close beside her as she was always taught. She was used to the busy streets. They didn't have a car so all Thea really knew was walking everywhere._

_AJ stood at the ATM machine, noticing two cops standing over by one of the stores. Although she couldn't see what they were doing, she could feel them staring at her, and so she shuffled Thea in closer to her legs._

"_Mommy, are you hiding me?" Thea chuckled. _

"_Maybe." AJ smiled, flicking her chin playfully as she looked back up at the ATM._

"_Mendez." One of the cops called over as AJ ignored and continued to look at the ATM, "You know you can't lift pennies from there." The cop chuckled with his partner as AJ ignored them. _

_She knew them as local cops who covered the particular area. Of course they didn't like her, nor her boyfriend. _

"_Where's your boy?" One of them asked, walking closer towards AJ, who was continuing to ignore them, "You know, for a Latina you sure don't have a lot to say." He said as AJ turned around immediately, "Oh… that got your attention?"_

"_Stay away from me." AJ warned, lifting the cash from the ATM, putting it in her pocket and taking a hold of Thea's hand and walking around the cops._

"_Sooner people like you leave this country the better." One of them said quietly to the other cop as AJ heard, turning around to them, gripping Thea's hand tightly._

"_People like me?" AJ questioned, "What have people like me ever done to you?" AJ shook her head as they both looked at her, nothing to say of course, "Come on, baby." AJ sighed to Thea, walking on down the street with Thea who looked up at AJ._

"_Mommy." Thea said quietly, looking up at AJ._

"_Yeah?" AJ smiled to her._

"_I don't know those men but I don't think I like them." Thea admitted truthfully as AJ smiled and nodded, caressing the back of Thea's head, crouching down in front of her._

"_I don't like them either." AJ said, "But we're always kind to people, whoever they are and wherever they come from, aren't we?" She nodded. She taught her daughter kindness, even when the world wasn't so kind to them._

"_Yeah." Thea nodded as AJ smiled._

"_Ok." AJ nodded, "You wanna go see daddy for lunch?" _

"_Yeah!" Thea cheered as AJ smiled._

"_Ok, let's go catch this bus." She nodded._

* * *

"Times are changing though, right?" Dominic nodded to Jude.

"Are they?" Jude questioned, "I won't know until I go."

"We'll come with you. Thea will sit beside you the entire time." Dominic said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I don't think I could be on my own." Jude said, "But… I think I have to tell Sean first before I go to the police. He deserves to know." She said as Dominic nodded.

"He'll be there for you." Dominic nodded, "We're all here for you." He said as Jude nodded.

"I just don't know if it's ever gonna feel real. If I'm ever gonna understand what has really happened here. Cause let's face it… I don't know what this person did to me. The only person who knows is them and… they might never get caught, which means I gotta live with the fact I don't know what he did." Jude said.

"They're gonna find him." Dominic nodded, "Even if you think it won't make a difference because you don't remember anything and you don't know who it was… believe me, it'll make a difference." He said as Jude nodded.

"Morning." Thea smiled softly, walking into the kitchen.

"Hey, babe." Dominic smiled.

"Hey." Jude nodded, sipping on her coffee.

"How is my little guy?" Thea smiled pouring herself some coffee.

"I'm fine." Dominic teased as Thea scoffed, "No, he's doing fine. Enjoying his breakfast." He said as Jude looked over at James perched in Dominic's arms, having his morning bottle.

"How'd you sleep?" Thea asked Jude.

"Off and on." Jude said as Thea nodded, "I uh… I think I'm gonna tell Sean tonight. If I can." She said. She knew she had to set herself small goals to get by with this. Otherwise she would just hide away in her bed forever and lose all contact.

"I can…I can come with you if you want." Thea nodded.

"I think I gotta do this one alone." Jude said as Thea nodded, understanding.

"Sure." Thea said, "Well we're here, you know that. If you want to stay here for longer you can." She nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Thank you." Jude nodded.

"I'm gonna take him up and change him." Dominic announced, standing up with James, "This diaper does not smell good."

"Yeah, that's all you, babe." Thea said as Dominic nodded, leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs with James whilst Thea took a seat at the table.

"Every time I close my eyes I just… I feel someone on me." Jude shook her head as Thea nodded, "It's like I can see myself, like I'm looking down on myself… and I can't do anything about it." She shook her head.

"It's still so fresh… you're gonna get through this." Thea said as Jude nodded, listening as there was a knock at the door, "I'll get it." Thea nodded.

She got up from the table, walking out of the kitchen and heading down to the front door, opening it up where she saw her mother standing.

"Hey." AJ gulped as Thea looked across at her.

"Hi." Thea shook her head with confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Is Jude here?" AJ wondered.

"Y-Yeah, yeah she's here." Thea nodded, looking across at her mother who stepped into the house.

"Where is she?" AJ asked, fidgeting with her hands nervously as Thea watched her.

"Kitchen." Thea said curiously as she watched her mother, "Is everything ok with you?" She asked as AJ ignored her, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Jude looked up, noticing her mother at the kitchen door.

"Uh… I just… I just came by to see you." AJ nodded, sitting her purse down as Thea watched. It was then Thea remembered something. Something her mother had told her in the past. Something she had escaped that Jude hadn't been able to.

Jude looked over at her mother who wasn't really saying much of anything, who was just looking across at her.

"Mom, you want coffee?" Thea asked as AJ nodded, sitting down at the table, looking at Jude.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jude shook her head.

"Just tell me that… that what I think has happened is just me being a paranoid mom." AJ nodded as Thea turned around, "That I'm just being silly and making stuff up in my head. Because I do that a lot." AJ nodded frantically as Jude watched her, "Tell me you're ok." AJ looked at Jude who stared at her lifelessly.

Jude wasn't really shocked that her mother seemed to be in the know already, without even having been told. She guessed it might have just been a mom thing.

"I don't think I'm ok." Jude shook her head as AJ looked at her, gulping and looking over to Thea who just shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"Oh my God." AJ shook her head, "What happened to you?" She questioned, shuffling closer to Jude on the chair, "Baby, what happened?" She shook her head, taking Jude's hand in hers as Jude looked at her.

Jude just shook her head, refusing to say it aloud, especially when she could tell her mother clearly knew. It was then she realised how difficult it was going to be when she had to tell Sean, and then eventually cops in a small room.

AJ wrapped her arms around Jude tightly, kissing her head as Jude leaned into her for comfort. Her mother was in a league of her own when it came to comfort. It wasn't going to get anymore comforting than her mother, and so a part of her was glad that on some level her mother just knew something bad had happened to her.

"It's ok." AJ whispered, hugging Jude tightly, looking over to Thea with tears in her eyes. The truth was, it wasn't ok. None of this was ok.


	63. Empty

**Empty**

* * *

"I think I'm gonna go lie down." Jude nodded, pulling away from her mother's embrace. For half an hour she had just sat crying in her arms. AJ didn't ask her questions. She didn't ask what happened or how it happened. She just held her baby girl and let her cry.

"Do you not want something to eat?" Thea asked her as Jude shook her head.

"No, I just wanna lie down." Jude said, standing up from the table as AJ watched her.

As a mother, she didn't have to ask what happened. She knew. Part of her knew yesterday when she first saw Jude come into the house. But now she knew for sure. Her worst nightmare was happening. Knowing one of her daughter's was hurting in such a different, personal way, and she couldn't do anything to help it. Her idea of torture.

"If you need anything just let us know. We'll be down here." Thea told her as Jude nodded, walking away out of the kitchen.

Jude knew she didn't need to tell her mom what happened. She clearly already figured it out.

"Did she stay here last night?" AJ asked Thea who nodded, sitting down at the kitchen table once Jude had gone upstairs.

"Yeah, she slept upstairs with me." Thea said as AJ ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head in disbelief.

"How did this happen? Has she told you?" AJ asked as Thea nodded, "Oh, God." She gulped. She really wasn't sure she was prepared to hear it.

"Dominic and I both know." Thea nodded.

"What happened?" AJ took a deep breath.

"Well she was at that party." Thea said, "She doesn't remember anything about leaving the bar. All she remembers is waking up that morning." She nodded.

"So… someone drugged her?" AJ asked as Thea nodded.

"Yeah." Thea said, "She said she uh… she woke up naked." Thea whispered, even though Jude wasn't anywhere close, she still felt like she needed to whisper.

AJ placed her hand over her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief.

"She showed me bruises up her thighs and she said she feels… she felt like she'd had sex when she woke up." Thea nodded as AJ looked down, shaking her head.

"And she doesn't even remember an image of who this person was?" AJ asked.

"No clue." Thea shook her head, "She knows the house she came from but that's it."

"And she's not told the police yet?" AJ asked.

"No. She wants to tell Sean first, obviously." Thea nodded, "And then she's gonna go. She's just worried that they're not gonna take her seriously or people might think of her in a different way."

"I don't want to believe this." AJ shook her head, placing her hands over her forehead. It really was like a nightmare. Knowing the details now of what had happened, how her daughter had been assaulted by someone that she couldn't even identify, it was horrifying.

"Neither do I but… we have to be there for her." Thea said as AJ nodded, "I put the clothes she was wearing in a bag for when she goes to the cops. And if she goes within the week they'll do a rape kit exam… you go to the hospital for that so I can make sure that it's people she's comfortable with or whatever." Thea nodded, trying to think ahead, think of anything she could do to just make it a tiny bit easier.

"I just can't… I can't even think about it." AJ shook her head.

"If I tell you something will you keep it between me and you?" Thea asked her as AJ looked up.

"Well I'll decide when I hear what it is." AJ said, "What?"

"A few weeks ago this guy bumped into Jude and me at the mall. He was… he was kinda creepy and he was looking right through Jude. I… I didn't like it. I just got a bad feeling." Thea said, "But I didn't do anything. I didn't think much of it after that." She said, "And then I saw him when we were all at the markets. He was staring over at us." She said as AJ shook her head, "So when I went to Sean for that address… it wasn't an old friend, it was this guy."

"Thea." AJ groaned.

"What? I got a bad feeling about him." Thea said, "So I went to his house and I… politely told him to stay away from Jude, to stop following her and creeping on her." She said, "And then I hear Kirsty saying that it was him who invited them to the party."

"What? So you think this is the guy who… who hurt her?" AJ questioned, standing up from the table, "Well if you have the address-"

"Well that's the thing…" Thea stood up to, "I do have the address, but the one that Jude told me she came from isn't the same as it so… I don't know." She shrugged, "Maybe it's nothing to do with him."

"There has been those other attacks to some girls who go to the institute." AJ remembered, "God, I just didn't think I had to worry about Jude being one of them." She sat back down, placing her hand over her face as Thea watched.

"We're gonna find who did this to her." Thea nodded, "With or without the police." She said as AJ looked up and nodded.

"God, your dad is gonna end up in prison again." AJ groaned.

"No he's not. Because we're gonna deal with this the right way." Thea said, "And it's up to Jude who she tells, because it's her who is going through this."

"He's your father, Thea. He needs to know what's going on." AJ said.

"Jude decides." Thea said as AJ nodded, "She wants to tell Sean tonight and I think she wants to do that alone." She said as AJ nodded.

"I can't imagine what she's going through." AJ shook her head tearfully.

"I think out of all of us you probably understand a little more." Thea nodded.

"Yeah but I got out." AJ said, "I'd trade places with her in a heartbeat." AJ shook her head.

"So would I." Thea nodded, "I think the thing that's really getting to her, above everything else, is the fact she… she doesn't know what he… what he did to her." Thea shook her head as AJ sighed to herself, placing her hands over her face. It truly was a living nightmare.

"Thea, I gotta tell your dad." AJ shook her head, lifting her head and clasping her hands over her mouth, "I can't keep this from him."

"Look, it's just until Jude tells Sean. This isn't about what anyone else needs right now apart from her." Thea said as AJ nodded, "She's terrified. She's terrified of people knowing and… and having to go to the cops."

"What's the last thing she remembers?" AJ questioned.

"Being at the bar." Thea said, "And then it goes straight to waking up that morning."

"And no one else was in the house? She woke up alone?" AJ asked as Thea nodded.

"Yeah." Thea said.

"Well if she gives the cops the address, surely it's gonna be whoever owns that house-"

"You think things go easy like that when it comes to these things?" Thea asked as AJ sighed.

"No, I guess not." AJ said, "This Jeremy guy… how does he know Jude anyway?" She asked suspiciously.

"He's in her classes." Thea said, "When I went to his house he was playing the scared innocent act but I just… I get a bad feeling from him…" She shook her head.

"And if he was the one who invited her to the party…" AJ nodded to herself.

"We're not gonna jump to any conclusions." Thea said, "Jude doesn't know that I threatened Jeremy. She still thinks that I just asked Sean for an old friend's address. Not Jeremy's."

"Maybe you should tell her. If we put Jeremy's name out there maybe things might come back to her-"

"She was drugged. Nothing is gonna come back to her. Right now I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Thea said as AJ sighed.

"You realise your dad and Dean aren't going to let the cops deal with this." Thea nodded, "Not a chance."

"Well they better." Thea said, "Unless they both wanna go to prison. I'm sure that's the last thing Jude needs right now, and they best realise that once they do find out." She said seriously.

"Your dad almost killed Rio when he found out about what he tried to do to me." AJ said, "And look, I'm not hurt at the fact I know he's way more protective over you three than he is of me." She said, "He'll lose it." She nodded as Thea thought to herself. The idea of the man behind Jude's attack being beaten and given what he deserved was very satisfying.

"Then just tell him not to get caught then." Thea looked across at her mother who looked back, "Either way, we'll find him." She promised as AJ nodded.

"I'm gonna go check on her." AJ stood up from the table as Thea nodded.

AJ headed away upstairs, walking into the bedroom where she saw Jude lying on her side, wide awake.

"Please don't ask how I am." Jude said as AJ nodded.

"I won't." AJ said, walking over to her, sitting down on the edge of the bed, "I just want you to know I'm here." She sighed, brushing Jude's hair from her face, "And I love you." AJ nodded as Jude looked at her.

"I don't even know how to describe how I feel right now." Jude shook her head.

"You don't have to." AJ soothed, stroking Jude's hair softly, "Just know we're all here for you. You're not alone." She whispered.

"I want to find who did it." Jude said, "And I want him to feel exactly how I feel right now." She said as AJ nodded.

"You believe me, baby. We'll find him. With or without the police." AJ nodded, continuing to stroke Jude's hair sweetly.

"I have to tell Sean tonight when he gets off work." Jude nodded, "And I don't know how he's gonna react."

"He's gonna be shocked… and upset." AJ nodded truthfully, "But I don't doubt for a second he'll be right there beside you in all of this." She said. She knew Sean was a good man, and she knew he cared about Jude very much.

"Would you tell dad for me?" Jude whispered as AJ looked at her, "If there's one person I know who is gonna flip out about this it's… gonna be him." Jude nodded, "And I don't… I don't wanna see that." She admitted.

"I'll tell him." AJ nodded, "And he'll be right behind you every step of the way."

"I know." Jude nodded, "I think I'm just gonna stay here until I need to go see Sean." She said as AJ nodded.

"Ok, I'll let you get some sleep." AJ nodded.

"No… can you stay with me?" Jude asked. She loved all of her family dearly, but there was just something about her mother's presence and comfort that was different.

"Of course I can." AJ nodded, "Hey, budge over." She smiled as Jude shuffled over, letting AJ sit on the bed beside her, "I'm not going anywhere." She promised as Jude rested her head on AJ's lap, letting her play with her hair, relaxing as best she could. But that hollow, empty feeling just wasn't leaving her.


	64. Murder On The Mind

**Murder On The Mind**

* * *

"Hey, babe. We're getting some runs." Punk nodded, sitting up on the couch watching some baseball as AJ got home late on in the afternoon. She'd spent her day with her daughter lying against her lap. Sometimes crying. Sometimes sleeping.

"Hey." AJ nodded as Punk turned to her.

"Where did you shoot off to this morning anyway? The office?" Punk asked.

"Uh… no. No I was at Thea's house." AJ nodded.

Jude had asked her to tell him what had happened. She figured it may have been best for her to tell him, to handle his reaction before he saw Jude. She knew it wasn't going to be good. Of course it wasn't.

"Oh, were you dropping off some of James' presents?" Punk asked, looking over at the TV.

"No, I was seeing Jude." AJ nodded as Punk turned to her, "She was staying with Thea last night."

"So they've officially made up?" Punk questioned, "Good. No point arguing over stupid stuff." Punk shook his head.

"We need to talk, Phil." AJ nodded as Punk turned back to her, this time a little more concerned.

"What's up?" He asked, turning the TV down and sitting up.

"Ok." AJ whispered to herself, taking a seat on the couch beside him.

"Are you ok?" Punk asked, becoming more and more concerned, "Are the girls ok?"

"I'm… I'm ok." AJ nodded to him, "It's Jude."

"What about Jude?" Punk questioned, standing up, "Is she ok? What's happened?" He asked.

"Just… calm down. She's ok." AJ nodded. If they were going by her physical safety at this moment time, she was ok. But emotionally and mentally, she was so far from ok.

"She's ok?" Punk nodded, sitting back down, "So what's going on?" He asked.

She wasn't sure how she could even say it. She never thought she'd ever have to sit down and tell him this. Like Thea had said, she thought it was something that you heard of around you but it always felt impossible that something like this could come and hit close to home. So very close.

"April." Punk waited, noticing AJ had gone blank, "What's going on? You're worrying me." He nodded. The TV was now turned off and his attention was fully on her, "What's wrong with Jude?"

"Something happened." AJ said, "On Christmas Eve." She said as Punk looked at her.

"What happened?" Punk asked as AJ looked at him, "She's not still apologising for showing up late on Christmas day, is she?" He wondered. He knew Jude. She was a worrier. Sensitive to other people's feelings and what they thought of her.

"N-No… no, it's not that." AJ sighed almost painfully, running her hands over her face, trying to keep it together.

"Then what?" Punk shook his head as AJ lifted her head, her clasped hands going over her mouth as she looked at him.

"She was raped." AJ whispered.

"What?" Punk said, almost immediately as AJ nodded.

"She was raped." AJ said a little louder as Punk looked at her, like he really couldn't understand what she was saying, "She was… drugged at the party and she doesn't… she doesn't remember anything. She just woke up in a bed, with no clothes on and-"

"What… What the hell are you talking?" Punk stood up, "What the hell, April?" Punk shook his head as AJ looked at him.

"I just found out today. She wanted me to tell you." AJ nodded as Punk screwed his face up.

"What?" Punk shook his head, "No… no, she… she's fine. She was fine." Punk nodded, "She was fine." He repeated.

"She's not fine, Phil." AJ shook her head, "She's in a bad way and she needs help." She said as Punk looked at her with horror. It just wasn't registering with him, "She's gone to tell Sean tonight and I think she's going to the police in the morning. She wants Thea to go with her." AJ said.

Meanwhile Punk was barely listening. His ears were ringing. There was no way he was hearing this right.

"Jude is fine." Punk shook his head, "I saw her yesterday. She was fine. She was a little sick but… she was…" He shook his head, running his hands through his hair, remembering Jude walking into the living room yesterday for the first time. Remembering her sleeping for most of the day. Throwing up at dinner. Acting overly fine afterwards.

"She's not fine." AJ shook her head as Punk looked at her, "She needs us. Now more than ever." She said, "Sit down with me." She reached for his hand as Punk ripped it away, too agitated and anxious to let her touch him. Too shocked and confused.

"You can't be serious right now." Punk shook his head in horror. It truly was his worst nightmare. Above anything else in the world. He would have taken another eight years in prison rather than hearing this about one of his children. It was torture.

"Baby, I'm serious." AJ stood up, "It's bad but she's… she's gonna get through this. Because we're all gonna help her. And we're gonna find the bastard who did this." She said as Punk looked across at her, "We'll find him with or without the cops." She said, starting to notice his facial expressions change from shock to anger as he realised there was a culprit behind this. There was someone who had done this, out there in the streets walking free.

"I'm gonna kill him." Punk said calmly, heading out of the living room door.

"Phil." AJ walked after him, "Phil." She called, watching him open the front door up as she quickly closed it over before he could walk out, "Phil, you don't even know who it was." She said, watching his shaking hands run over his head.

"C'mon, you're not… you're not being serious right now, are you?" Punk shook his head. But he knew she would never joke about anything like this. It was real, this had happened and he couldn't believe it.

"Please, just come and sit down with me." AJ nodded calmly. She didn't expect a different reaction from him.

She walked back into the living room as he followed her, "How… why did this happen?" Punk shook his head. He knew it was a ridiculous question but he couldn't find anything right to say or ask. What could he say?

"Sit down." AJ nodded, sitting down on the couch as he slowly sat down beside her, his hands shaking as he clasped them, "She's safe right now. She's at Thea's, stayed the night there. Sean is gonna come there and she's gonna tell him." She said as Punk just shook his head, "She doesn't know what happened. She was drugged at the party." She said as Punk placed his hands over his face. He really wished he could just wake up from this nightmare.

"And no one noticed?" Punk asked fiercely.

"Kirsty had gone and apparently Jude was leaving right after her but… obviously didn't get the chance." AJ nodded, "She knows the location of the house she came from so when she goes to the cops-"

"Where is it?" Punk stood back up, "Where is the house?" He asked.

"She… she didn't tell me. Phil, you need to calm down." AJ stood up.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down?" Punk asked angrily, "Whoever did this is still out there-"

"And this is not your situation to handle. This is Jude's." AJ made clear.

"She's my daughter." Punk said.

"Yeah, don't worry, I get that." AJ nodded, "And I know you don't want to think about it but just take a second to think about what Jude needs right now." She said, "She needs us to be there for her. We're not giving the son of a bitch who did this any attention-"

"I'm gonna kill him, April." Punk nodded simply.

"No you're not. You're gonna be there for Jude." AJ batted, "Because this is about her and what she wants." She said, "The last thing she really needs right now is worrying about her dad going off the rails."

"Is she… is she hurt?" Punk asked, not really sure he could face knowing.

"A little." AJ nodded, "Not as much physically as emotionally." She said, "I just… I sat with her all day in bed. She barely moved. Sometimes she just… started crying." She shook her head, folding her arms and looking down at the ground as she felt tears welling in her eyes as Punk sighed to himself.

"She's telling Sean tonight?" Punk asked.

"Yeah." AJ quickly dried her tears as Punk sighed, "She wanted to before going to the police." She nodded, "I said that I'd go with her but she just wants Thea." AJ nodded.

"She doesn't remember a thing?" Punk asked.

"No, it goes from her at the bar to waking up." AJ nodded, "I think that's what's affecting her so bad. Not knowing what someone did to her whilst she was… passed out." AJ's voice broke, not being able to hold her tears back as Punk watched.

Punk walked over, wrapping her arms around her tightly as she hugged into him. He felt exactly how she did. He too wanted to break his heart and cry loudly, but he kept it together the best he could.

"We'll help her through this." Punk nodded, rubbing AJ's back softly.

"How can someone do this?" AJ cried as Punk closed his eyes. He had no answer to that, "To do that to someone. To take so much away from them." She shook her head.

"It's not human." Punk shook his head. It just wasn't sinking in for him. As parents all they wanted to do was make it go away for Jude, to take her pain and sadness.

"Thea sort of told me something too…" AJ pulled back, "You know how she went to Sean for an address for an old friend?" AJ asked.

"Yeah?" Punk shook his head.

"Well she was lying. It was for some guy who she'd saw following Jude and being weird with her. But you know how paranoid Thea can get over stuff like that. But… then she told me it was that guy who invited Jude to the party." AJ said, "So I'm thinking… it's gotta be him, right? But… the house Thea went to was different from the one Jude woke up in so…"

"Thea went to this guy?" Punk questioned.

"Yeah, to warn him to stay away from Jude." AJ nodded.

"What's his name?" Punk asked, already feeling the anger boiling in his gut.

"Jeremy." AJ said, "But it was a different house, Phil. And this guy is in Jude's class at the institute." She said.

"Yeah well that's how scary shit like this is. It can be anyone. It can be a friend. Someone who smiles to you in the street." Punk said, running his hand through his hair, "So… where does this Jeremy live?" Punk asked, trying to act calm.

"I don't know. Thea never said." AJ said, "It's best we wait until Jude goes to the police." She nodded, "There's been other girls attacked the same way. All girls who study at the institute." She said, "I just never thought… I never thought it'd be Jude." She shook her head as Punk nodded.

"We'll be there for her and she will… she'll get through this." Punk gulped, wrapping his arms back around his wife, "She's got her whole family behind her." He nodded, kissing AJ's head as she rested into him for comfort.

He wasn't shying away from the fact that he would find this person, with or without the police, and he would make him pay for what he'd done to Jude. He'd never felt anger like this in all his life, and he knew once they found this person behind the attack, that anger was gonna come out ten full.


	65. My Blessing

**My Blessing**

* * *

"What am I supposed to say to her?" Punk shook his head, "And why the hell did I even bring this?" He asked, holding up the pint of Jude's favourite ice-cream, "As if this is gonna help her."

"Hey, just relax." AJ rubbed his back, walking towards Thea's house, "You don't have to say anything to her. A hug will go a long way right now." She nodded, knocking on the front door as Punk took a deep breath.

He never thought he'd be coming to support his daughter under these circumstances. It seemed so unfair. So cruel. Something that had angered him like never before. And broken his heart just the same. As a father, he always wanted to protect his daughters, so this truly was his own neve ending nightmare.

Thea came to the door, opening it up as she looked at Punk.

"Hey." Thea nodded, letting them into the house, hugging them both. She could tell just by how her father looked that he knew.

"How is she doing?" AJ asked.

"Sean has just left." Thea said, "He was pretty shocked. I don't think he really knew what to say." She said, "But he's there for her one hundred percent." She nodded.

"Where is she?" Punk asked.

"She's upstairs in my room watching TV." Thea nodded, "Dominic has gone out for pizza. I figured you guys would come so I told him to get extra." She said as AJ nodded, "Where is Cassie?"

"She was staying over with one of her friends tonight." AJ sighed, "I was tempted to call her and… and let her know, I guess but-"

"No." Thea shook her head, "No, you can tell her when she's back. One day won't hurt." She said as AJ nodded.

"Do you have a spoon?" Punk asked Thea who looked at him. She could see how pale he was, how disoriented he looked, how worried and sick.

"I have many spoons." Thea smiled, walking away to the kitchen to grab a spoon for him.

"Is James down for the night?" AJ asked as Thea nodded, returning and handing Punk the spoon.

"Yeah, I just got him down ten minutes ago." Thea said, "He was being fussy tonight." She said, "So Jude wants to stay here for the time being. Me and Dominic went to her apartment and grabbed her a bag of some stuff. Kirsty wasn't in but… I think Jude wants to tell her as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I think it's best she stays with you or with us right now." AJ nodded.

"Can I go up?" Punk asked Thea as she nodded.

"Sure." Thea said, "She'll be glad to see you." She smiled as Punk nodded, walking upstairs and making his way to Thea's bedroom.

He opened up the door slowly, so not to give Jude a fright, walking into the room where he saw her lying in bed with a teddy bear, watching TV.

Jude looked away from the TV when she noticed him coming into the room. She could tell immediately by the look on his face that he knew. She hated the look of sympathy people were starting to give her, but his look was different.

"Hey." Punk smiled softly as Jude sat up a little in bed, sitting her teddy bear over on the night stand, a little embarrassed to be caught with him.

"Hey." Jude nodded, turning the TV down a little.

"What are you watching?" Punk asked, walking further into the room, looking on a the TV.

"I don't even know." Jude realised. She wasn't even watching it. She was just staring at the screen begging for her mind to go elsewhere.

"I brought you some ice-cream." Punk nodded, "Your favourite." He said as Jude smiled.

"Thanks." Jude said. She could see he didn't know what to say to her, and she understood why, "And you only brought one spoon? So… it's all for me?" Jude smirked a little as Punk smiled. Knowing his little girl was still in there was important right now.

"All for you." Punk smiled, sitting up on the bed beside her and handing her the ice-cream as she opened it up.

"This is the first I've ate all day." She realised as Punk nodded.

"Well that's good protein." Punk teased as she smiled.

"Yeah, right." Jude scoffed, tucking into the ice-cream.

"So you're opting to stay here for a little while?" Punk asked, "Thea must drive you insane."

"A lot less than she did when we were younger, believe it or not." Jude said, "She used to put soap in my retainer, you know." She said as Punk chuckled a little.

"I think that's just normal sibling behaviour." Punk nodded.

"She's really become the easiest person to talk to now." Jude realised as Punk nodded.

"You know the other week, I was talking to Cassie about prison and all that stuff, I told her if she had any questions I'd answer them no problem. You wanna guess what she asked me?" He turned to her.

"Something completely ridiculous?" Jude figured.

"What prison food was like." Punk nodded as Jude smiled.

"I love her." Jude nodded with respect.

"Here I was preparing for some tough questions." Punk said as Jude smiled, her smile fading as she realised what her dad was deliberately trying to do. And somehow… it was working.

"What was prison food like?" Jude asked curiously.

"Honestly, not as bad as you think." Punk said, "Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't take it over your moms tacos ever again but… it wasn't the worst thing about prison."

"What was the worst thing?" Jude asked, "Besides the obvious."

"I had a cell mate who never shut up about Jesus." Punk nodded, "He was on the top bunk and I was on the bottom. He read his bible before going to sleep every night and when he was falling asleep, his arm would hang off the edge and he'd drop the damn thing on my head." He shook his head, "He was harmless, though." Punk nodded to himself.

He turned to Jude who had sat her ice-cream on the night stand after a few mouthfuls, "I'll have some more later." She nodded.

"I'll get Thea to put it in the freezer for you." Punk said as she nodded, drying tears that were running from her eyes down her cheeks as Punk sighed.

In the middle of her father distracting her, it just hit her again. It came in waves. Very real and imprisoning waves of fear and reality. Reality of what was happening. What had happened. And then the tears came.

"Jude." Punk sighed.

"I'm alright." Jude nodded, drying her face.

"No, you're not." Punk shook his head, shuffling over and wrapping his arm around her as she hugged into him, "I got you." He nodded, kissing her head as she cried into him. He couldn't describe the pain he was feeling as he held her. The ache he had for her and what she was going through. He just knew he had to be there for her right now.

* * *

"She's asleep." Punk said, walking into the kitchen later on after leaving Jude upstairs after she'd fallen asleep.

"How is she?" AJ asked, "Oh… you know what, don't answer that. It's a stupid question." AJ shook her head at herself.

"Here, stick that in your freezer." Punk handed Thea the ice-cream, "She had a few spoonful's and then stopped."

"Ok." Thea nodded, taking the ice-cream and putting it over in the freezer.

"When are you going to the station tomorrow?" AJ asked.

"Whenever she wakes up and decides." Thea nodded, "When Sean started to sort of come round from the shock, he said that he'd be there and that he'd make sure it was cops who he trusted and he knows will do their best to find who did this." She said as AJ nodded.

"Good." AJ said as Punk folded his arms, not saying anything, "Does he think it's linked to the other attacks that happened?"

"He didn't say. I think he had his boyfriend hat on more than his cop one." Thea said, "He was really shocked." She nodded.

"I'm gonna go call into work and let them know I'm not gonna be in tomorrow." AJ said, leaving the kitchen as Punk looked over at Thea.

"What?" Thea shook her head.

"This Jeremy guy…" Punk said, "What do I need to know?" He asked her.

"Clearly mom has already told you." Thea said.

"Yeah briefly." Punk said, "What's his address?"

"How stupid do you think I am?" Thea rolled her eyes.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"Oh, yeah. I'm gonna give you his address so you can go murder him." Thea scoffed, "High chance it's not him, Jude woke up in a completely different house." She said.

"High chance, low chance. I don't give a shit." Punk said seriously as Thea looked across at him, "Give me his address and don't make me ask again." He said, a little more serious and definitely a lot scarier than she expected.

"Fine." Thea said, writing the address down on a piece of paper, extending it over to him as he took it from her.

"You threatened him and told him to stay away from Jude?" Punk asked, putting the address in his pocket.

"Yeah, like a week ago." Thea said, "He bumped into Jude when I was her one time. He was super weird. Creepy. Looking right through her." She said, "As if that wasn't bad enough, then I saw him creeping on us at the markets, and to top it off, he was the one who invited Jude to the party on Christmas Eve." She said as Punk nodded slowly.

"Ok." Punk nodded, taking the information in calmly as Thea watched him.

She walked over to him, a little closer, "If you're gonna do something about it, make sure it's him and make sure you don't get caught." Thea said quietly as Punk looked at her, "And if you're offering any front row tickets." She said fiercely as Punk looked at her, "Count me in for one." She said.

"What are you two whispering about?" AJ walked back into the kitchen with her phone.

"Nothing." Thea said casually, "Did you phone into work?"

"Yeah, they can manage without me." AJ nodded as Punk just looked across at Thea as he felt the piece of paper with Jeremy's address on it in his pocket.


	66. Report

**Report**

* * *

"Are you ok?" Thea asked, sitting with Jude the next morning in an interviewing room in the police station.

"Just… stop asking that question." Jude nodded as Thea looked at her.

"Sorry." Thea nodded, "This part will be over soon." She said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah… this part." Jude nodded. She longed for it all to be over, but she felt like it could never be over. She didn't feel like this feeling would ever leave her.

"Hi, Jude." A middle aged woman walked into the room. She wasn't in police attire. Instead she wore a suit and shirt. She seemed a little more important than your average cop.

"Hi." Jude nodded.

"I'm Detective Williams but… you can just call me Karen." Karen smiled, sitting down at the table as Jude nodded, "How you feeling today?" She asked as Jude shrugged, "Dumb question, huh?"

"A little." Jude agreed.

"A lot of these questions I have for you might sound dumb but… I promise it's necessary." Karen nodded, "I'm gonna ask you some questions here and then if… if it's ok with you I'd like to send you for a forensic exam." She nodded.

"Well I've had like 4 showers since… it happened." Jude said as Karen nodded.

"That's ok." Karen assured her, "Just for your health and safety I'd like to send you for one." She nodded.

"Ok." Jude nodded.

"And you're ok with your sister being here right now?" Karen asked as Jude turned to Thea.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, turning back to Karen.

"Ok." Karen smiled, "If you need a break just let me know, ok?"

"Ok." Jude nodded.

"When did this happen?" Karen asked.

"Uh… Christmas Eve." Jude nodded, "Well… I woke up on Christmas morning." She said as Karen nodded.

"Where were you Christmas Eve? Just give me a run-down of what you did that day before you went out?" Karen asked, writing some things down in a notepad.

"I woke up and had a shower. I wrapped all my Christmas presents." Jude nodded to herself, "Sean, my boyfriend, he came over for lunch before he headed to work. He was on night shift that night." She explained as Karen nodded, "And then I just got ready to go out."

"Who were you going out with?" Karen asked.

"My best friend, Kirsty. We have an apartment together." Jude said as Karen nodded.

"Where was the party?" Karen asked.

"The three dots." Jude said as Karen nodded.

"Who did you speak to at the party?" Karen asked.

"No one really." Jude said, "It gets kinda blurry."

"What was the last thing you remember from the party?" Karen asked.

"Saying bye to Kirsty." Jude said, "She was leaving with some guy and I said I would leave after I finished my drink." She nodded to herself, "Then I…I can't remember anything."

"Ok." Karen nodded, "What's the next thing you remember?"

"Waking up." Jude said as Karen nodded.

"Can you describe that to me?" She asked.

"I woke up in a… a double bed. I had no clothes on." Jude said.

"What was the room like?" She asked.

"It was… basic, I guess." Jude said, "Just a bad and some dressers." She said.

"Was there anyone else in the house?" Karen asked.

"No, I… I got out of the bed and I put my clothes on. They were sitting on the floor." She said, "And I left the bedroom and went downstairs. The house was empty." Jude nodded, "So then I… I left and I went to my parents house." Jude nodded.

"Did you see anything suspicious in the house? For example was there any weapons lying around?" Karen asked.

"No, nothing like that." Jude shook her head.

"Ok." Karen nodded, "Have you washed the clothes you were wearing from that night?"

"No, they're in a bag at my sister's house." Jude said.

"Ok, well I'd like to take them and pass them over to forensics. If those clothes were back on you before you showered there could be some good chance of collecting any DNA from it." Karen said as Jude nodded.

"I uh… I feel like I'm not giving you much to work with here." Jude shook her head.

"Don't you worry about that. As long as you tell me everything you remember, we'll work with it." Karen assured her as Jude nodded, "At the time was there any aches or pains you had after? Did you feel sick?"

"Yeah, I was sick that afternoon but I… I figured it might have been from whatever I was drugged with." Jude said as Karen nodded, "My wrists were sore and my… my legs." Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I can see your wrists have some bruising." Karen noticed as Jude nodded, "But I'm gonna let the forensics team exam you and ask you more related questions to that." She nodded.

"Ok." Jude nodded.

"Now is there anything else you can remember from that night? Anything else we should know that could help us find this person or at least question someone about it-"

"I uh… I left without my underwear. I couldn't find it." Jude nodded as Thea sighed.

"Ok." Karen nodded, scribbling more down, "Anything else? Is there anything prior to what happened that you remember? Were you being followed or watched? Did you have a fight with someone? Things like that?" Karen asked.

"No, nothing like that." Jude shook her head honestly as Karen nodded.

"Ok." Karen said, "And you'd be able to tell me the address of the house you came from?"

"I don't know the address but I could for sure point it out and take you there." Jude said as Karen nodded.

"Ok." Karen said, "Well I think I've got everything I need for now." Karen said, "I will drive you to the hospital for your exam. Your sister can come with you." She smiled softly as Jude nodded, "All the results and questions they ask well get passed back to me anyway so I don't need to be there." She said as Jude nodded, "But I'm gonna give you my card with my number." She slid over the card as Jude took it, "Anything you need, even if it's not related to the case." She said comfortingly as Jude nodded, "Call me anytime."

"Thank you." Jude nodded.

"I might stop by your place from time to time to ask you some things if that's ok." Karen said as Jude nodded.

"Well I'm staying with my sister right now so… I'll be there." Jude said as Karen nodded.

"Ok." Karen nodded, "Thank you for coming in. I can't imagine how hard this is. You're very brave." Karen smiled as Jude just nodded.

"How are you gonna look for things?" Jude asked curiously. She figured whilst she was here, she may as well ask everything that was on her mind.

"Well we're start off with surveillance footage around that area that night. Of course we're also gonna look at the house you came from and search it, see who the homeowner is." Karen said, "Anything we find, anyone one we find… you're gonna be the first to know." Karen nodded.

"Ok." Jude nodded, taking a deep breath.

"And like I said, if you need anything, call me." Karen said as Jude nodded.

"Thank you." Jude said as Karen smiled.

* * *

Karen drove Jude and Thea to the hospital. Unfortunately Thea couldn't actually go into the room with Jude, but promised her little sister she was right outside and would be waiting on her coming out.

"She's a brave girl." Karen nodded, standing in the waiting room with Thea who nodded.

"Yeah." Thea said, "She is."

"Please make sure that she's not discouraged by the fact she can't remember anything. You'd be surprised what we can find with so little information." Karen said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I got a feeling she thinks the case will be dropped by next week." Thea nodded.

"No." Karen shook her head, "We are following it up along with the other sexual assaults that happened. Given that Jude fits the brief that the other girls have… got a feeling it might be the same person."

"Yeah?" Thea questioned as Karen nodded.

"Speculation of course." Karen said, "None of the other girls were drugged, though. This is a first." She said, "They remember their assaults. And they all said it was a man in black mask. Jude's is a little different."

"So it could be someone else entirely?" Thea questioned.

"We're gonna cover all bases. Once we check out the house that Jude came from that morning, I'd say we'll be a few steps ahead." Karen nodded, "And like I said, anything we find we'll be letting Jude know."

"Ok." Thea nodded.

"I'm gonna go. Once she's finished in there you can go home. All the exam information will get sent to me." Karen said.

"Ok, thank you." Thea said as Karen nodded, walking off down the hospital corridor.

Thea liked to think she was a good judge of character, and she liked Karen. She was comforting yet completely professional. The way she asked Jude questions in such a calm and normal manner was definitely something her sister needed to get through his horrible day. She had no doubt that this woman would do everything she could to find who did this.

Meanwhile Jude was in the examination room with another nurse who leading the exam. Pictures had been taken of her entire body and she had been examined internally and externally. The nurse had taken swabs of pretty much every part of her body, including a strand of her hair. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking the entire time. It was the first time since her assault that she truly felt like a victim of something.

Because she had no idea what had happened to her and couldn't remember her attack, she had been given a very thorough examination, covering all bases. She really felt like her body was no longer hers as the nurse took samples and swabs from every direction.

"Jude are you on any medication right now?" The nurse asked, who was very formal and brief with everything she was doing. She was now lying up on the bed in her hospital gown answering some questions after the hour long examination.

"No." Jude shook her head, lying up on the bed.

"Any pre-existing conditions?" The nurse asked, filling in some information on a clipboard.

"No." Jude shook her head.

"When were you last sexually active before your assault?" She questioned.

"Uh... the night before." Jude nodded.

"Ok." The nurse nodded, walking over to the counter behind as Jude watched.

"Can I go now?" Jude hoped and prayed.

"Just a few more things, sweetie." The nurse nodded, "Are you on birth control?"

"Yes." Jude said.

"Ok and we got your clothes from detective Williams so we'll run that too." The nurse said, "Ok, just a few last things if you could go into the bathroom and give me a urine sample and take this pregnancy test for me." She said, handing over the items to Jude who nodded, "And when you come back I'd like to take some blood."

"Then can I go?" Jude hoped, stepping down from the bed.

"Just a few more questions after that." The nurse smiled sympathetically as Jude nodded, walking away into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

* * *

She eventually, after feeling like time had stood still, was finished with the examination and could go home with Thea who waited outside for her.

"You fancy something to eat?" Thea asked, walking into her house with Jude. On the car ride home, she never said a word.

"No, I'm gonna go lie down." Jude said as Thea nodded.

"Ok." Thea said, "You did so good today. That part is over now." She nodded, wrapping her arms around her sister who hugged back as best she could.

"Yeah… that part." Jude nodded tiredly.

"You've had a long day. Maybe once you've had some sleep you'll feel hungry. I'll make you anything you want when you wake up." Thea nodded.

"Thanks." Jude nodded, heading on upstairs as Thea watched her, sighing to herself and walking through to the kitchen where Dominic was.

"Hey." Dominic smiled.

"Hi." Thea nodded, leaning over and kissing him hello.

"You ok?" Dominic asked, "How'd everything go?" He asked as Thea sighed and sat down at the table.

"As well as it could have, I guess. It's not really for me to say." Thea said, "She barely said anything when she got out the exam." She shook her head, "She was… she was in there for almost three hours."

"At least they're being really thorough with it." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"The detective in charge is really nice. Jude has her number if she needs anything and she said if they find anything she'll be the first to know about it." Thea nodded, "She's a nice woman."

"Good." Dominic said.

"It's weird… she told me that these others girls who had been attacked recently, none of them were drugged like Jude was. The settings were very different. I think that's thrown the detective off a little bit with this." Thea nodded.

"Two different attackers?" Dominic wondered.

"Maybe." Thea nodded, "How is James?"

"He is with your mom and dad. They said they'd keep him for the night. I think that was their polite way of seeing we both look like we need some sleep." Dominic nodded.

"I can't sleep." Thea sighed as Dominic nodded, listening as someone came into their house.

"It's just me." Sean walked into the kitchen holding some food for Jude, "Is she here?"

"She went for a lie down." Thea nodded, "But you can go up."

"Ok." Sean nodded, "How did… how did it go?" He asked.

"As well as it could have, I guess. But… probably better asking her." Thea said as Sean nodded.

He walked off from the kitchen and headed upstairs, walking into the bedroom where Jude had been spending the majority of her time in. He saw she was wide awake and sitting up in bed.

"Hey." Sean smiled as Jude looked over.

"Hey." Jude smiled.

"I brought you some soup." Sean nodded, "If you… if you feel kinda hungry." He said as Jude smiled.

"I'm ok just now." Jude said as he nodded.

He was still in shock. He couldn't believe this had happened to her. Someone he cared about so deeply. He was mad, upset, confused and heartbroken for her.

"I spoke to Karen." Sean said, "She said you did good."

"Well it wasn't a job interview." Jude shook her head as he sat up on the bed beside her.

"You know what I mean." Sean said as she nodded, "I know Karen. She's good. She doesn't give up on cases until she finds what and who we're looking for." He said.

"She was nice." Jude agreed, "I liked her." She nodded, lying her head down on his lap as he brushed her hair away from her face, "That was the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life." She told him honestly as Sean sighed, "I didn't even feel like I was in my body." She shook her head.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through this." Sean shook his head, caressing her head softly as she just closed her eyes over, trying so desperately to wake up from this nightmare.


	67. Alibi

**Alibi**

* * *

"You are my favourite grandbaby." AJ smiled, sitting on the couch with James who she was lifting up and down, blowing kisses on his little tummy, doing all she could to see that adorable little smile, "Yeah, my favourite grandbaby." AJ nodded as Punk walked into the room.

"He's your only grandbaby." Punk reminded her.

"And he's my favourite." AJ smiled, kissing James' cheeks before holding him back against her chest, turning to Punk as she noticed he had his jacket on, "Hey, where are you going?" She asked.

"Just going to the store." Punk nodded, "You need anything?"

"Phil." AJ said suspiciously.

"April." Punk replied in the same tone, "What?"

"We don't need anything from the store." AJ said.

"Correction. I would like some graham crackers." Punk said.

"A real emergency, huh?" AJ nodded, "Ok, well… just don't be too long." She said.

"I won't." Punk said, leaning over and kissing her sweetly, kissing his grandson whilst he was at it, "You behave yourself with my wife." He warned James jokingly as AJ chuckled.

"He always behaves." AJ nodded as Punk smiled.

They were babysitting James for the night to give Thea and Dominic a chance to catch up on sleep. And sweet baby cuddles from their grandson was really needed at this time.

"Ok, won't be long." Punk said, leaving the living room and heading out of the house as AJ scoffed, looking down at James.

"He thinks I'm stupid, James." AJ rolled her eyes, "Known him for thirty years and he thinks he can lie to me? He's a dumb dumb." She hummed, tapping James' nose playfully as the near six month old smiled sweetly.

* * *

"What'd you tell AJ?" Dean asked, fixing his beanie hat on his head after he met Punk out in the streets, blowing into his cold hands as they walked down the street.

"That I was going to the store." Punk said.

"Ain't no way Mendez believes shit like that from you." Dean chuckled to himself.

"She did." Punk said, naïve of course.

"Yeah, right." Dean nodded, "Just be prepared for the questions when you return."

"She'll be asleep by the time I get back. We're babysitting James tonight." Punk said.

"Yeah you're doing a real good job of babysitting." Dean nodded.

"You got a problem?" Punk paused in the middle of the street, turning to his brother who looked at him.

"No, I don't. But… I think you gotta think about this, man. You don't know what you're walking into. This isn't for us to handle." Dean shook his head, "I don't want you getting in trouble."

"Yeah and what if it was Chrissy or Sarah?" Punk asked, referring to his two nieces, "What would you be doing?" He asked as Dean stayed quiet, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"I'm just trying to think of what Jude needs right now." Dean said.

"She needs her family to protect her and keep her safe." Punk nodded, "I can do this on my own. I have other people who will help me."

"Oh, yeah? Like who?" Dean scoffed.

"Hey." Thea pulled up in her car, getting out as Dean watched.

"You're kidding, right?" Dean turned back to Punk.

"She wants to come." Punk shrugged.

"Yeah and look what happened the last time she wanted to come somewhere she shouldn't have? She was shot." Dean said, "I know your brain might be a little bit hazy right now but you better send her ass home."

"I'm not going anywhere." Thea made clear, closing her car door over.

"This isn't a game." Dean looked at Thea.

"I am not a little girl." Thea looked at Dean who placed his hands on her hips.

"Yeah, I know. You were a lot nicer when you were little." Dean shook his head.

"Can we just go?" Punk asked them, walking down the street as they followed behind.

"Hey, how is she doing?" Dean asked Thea.

"Not good." Thea nodded truthfully, "She's not leaving my bedroom. She's not eating." She said as Dean sighed.

"Is it this one, Thea?" Punk asked, coming up to a house on the street.

"Yeah." Thea nodded as Punk walked up the steps, knocking on the door, looking around the street to make sure no one was around.

"Just let me deal with this part." Punk told Dean and Thea.

"What are you gonna do?" Thea asked quietly, listening as the door opened up.

Punk turned around, looking at the guy who answered the door, his blood already boiling.

"Jeremy?" Punk questioned.

"Yeah." Jeremy said cautiously as Punk punched him across the face hard, knocking him out.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" Sean asked, sitting in bed with Jude who really hadn't been saying much of anything. He knew she wasn't sleeping, but he could see she was constantly closing her eyes shut. He just wished he could take her pain away.

"I'm not hungry." Jude shook her head, "How long do you think it will take before they drop my case and just put it down to me being too drunk?" She asked.

"That's not going to happen." Sean shook his head, "Trust me. Karen knows what she's doing. She's one of the top detectives in the city." She nodded.

"I gave her no information. All she knows is the house I came from." Jude shook her head.

"Yeah, the house, which potentially could have a shit load of DNA and evidence inside." Sean nodded.

"Or it could be someone who knows what they're doing. Someone who doesn't even live there." Jude shook her head.

"You just gotta be hopeful." Sean nodded as Jude sighed, leaning her head back against the wall, sitting against the headboard beside him.

"She took so many pictures of me." Jude shook her head, replaying the examination in her head over and over again. Continuing to hear the sound of the camera clicking, the flash going off.

"It's just to build up the case. The more evidence they have, the better chance they have of finding this person." Sean nodded.

"The nurse suggested these are rope burns." Jude said, looking at both of her wrists which had burn grazes around them, "If I was unconscious, why was I tied up?" She shook her head.

"You don't… you don't have to think about that-"

"It's all I'm thinking about!" Jude said, getting off the bed, "I want to know what happened to me." She cried as Sean sighed, "I can't… I can't live my life and not know what happened that night, what was done to me…" She shook her head, "All I keep thinking about is scenarios. I can't stop it. I want to but I can't." She said.

"Jude-"

"Was it one guy? Was it two? Was it a group? Would I recognise him? Did-Did he hit me? Was I crying? How long did it last?" Jude asked fast paced, her brain bursting with painful questions she had been stripped from knowing.

"Jude." Sean sighed, walking over to her.

"No, don't." Jude backed up, "I'm fine." She said, not even bothering to wipe her tears anymore, letting them run down her cheeks and face, "You didn't ask for this."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sean shook his head, "I am here for you. I'm not leaving. I hate that this happened to you. I hate it. I want the bastards head who did this to you." He said, "And I hate that I can't do anything to help you right now."

"No one can." Jude assured him, "I just… I want to be alone." She shook her head.

"You shouldn't be alone right now." Sean shook his head.

"Please." Jude shook her head, looking across at him, "Please just go." She nodded.

She just felt like she was ready to explode. It wasn't anyone's fault and she knew that. It was just her way of dealing with this. She couldn't handle the constant questions, the stroking of her hair and the hugs. She knew it was her family's show of support but all she really wanted was to be on her own.

"Ok." Sean put his hands up, realising she was getting extremely anxious and apprehensive, and he really didn't want to be the cause of anymore distress for her, "Ok, I'll go." He nodded, "I'll… I'll come by tomorrow."

Jude just nodded, drying her face and watching as he left the room. She wasn't an idiot. She could see the people around her hurting for her, but she had enough of her own hurt to be dealing with. As soon as he left the room she got back into bed and under the covers, where she felt protected, where no one could see her, where she didn't feel exposed.

Sean walked downstairs, running his hands over his face and sighing, opening up the front door where he saw Kirsty standing, about to knock on the door.

"Hey, Kirsty." Sean nodded, drying his teary eyes a little.

"Where is she? Oh my God…" Kirsty walked into the house, "Is she here?"

"She's… upstairs." Dominic said. As far as he knew, no one else knew apart from him and Jude's family, "How… how do you know?"

"Because a detective came by the our apartment and asked to take a look around. She didn't tell me what happened so I had to… ask around-"

"Ask around?" Sean shook his head.

"I have friends in the police." Kirsty nodded.

"You have friends everywhere." Sean shook his head, watching Kirsty dump her stuff down, about to rush upstairs, "I wouldn't go up and see her right now. She wants to be on her own." Sean nodded.

"God… I can't… I can't believe this." Kirsty shook her head, running her hands over her hair, "Is Thea here?"

"No but Dominic is in the kitchen." Sean said, "I should get going."

"Ok." Kirsty nodded, walking down the hall and into the kitchen where Dominic was sitting filling in some paper work, "God, I need a drink." She shook her head as Dominic looked up.

"Hello person who I do not know that well and who does not live here." Dominic shook his head with confusion, watching Kirsty opening up the fridge.

"Hey." Kirsty sighed, "Do you have alcohol in here?" She asked.

"Not unless my son has a stash somewhere." Dominic hummed, looking back to his paper work as Kirsty shook her head with confusion, causing Dominic to look back up, "Oh, hi… I'm Dominic… alcoholic, my wife… also an alcoholic." He made very clear as Kirsty ran her hands through her hair.

"Shit, I'm sorry." Kirsty shook her head, sitting down at the table.

"You just found out?" Dominic wondered as Kirsty nodded, shaking her hand and placing her hand over her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.

"I can't believe this happened to her." Kirsty shook her head, "I should have been there. I should have went home with her and made sure she was safe." She shook her head.

"You can't think like that." Dominic shook his head.

"Well I should have." Kirsty said, "I can't… I can't believe this happened. She's my best friend. I should never have left her."

"Kirsty, you can't think like that. You didn't know this was gonna happen. And presumably when you left, she was fine." Dominic nodded, "Don't beat yourself up."

"She's gonna get a kick out of it when she finds out who I went home with." Kirsty shook her head as Dominic chuckled.

"Who?" Dominic shook his head.

"This creep in our class. Jeremy." Kirsty shook her head as Dominic's face changed immediately, "I should have been there for her."

"Did you say… Jeremy? You… you went home with him?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah, ok, don't make me say it twice." Kirsty shook her head.

"Excuse me." Dominic stood up, walking out of the kitchen and calling Thea who, of course, wasn't picking her phone up, "Come on, Thea. Pick up your phone."


	68. Snapped

**Snapped**

* * *

"Wakey wakey." Punk tapped Jeremy's face harshly, crouching down in front of him where the boy was tied up to a chair in the centre of his living room.

"W-What?" Jeremy lifted his head, coming round from unconsciousness, the first thing he saw was Punk's face, which was incredibly scary, and then he saw another man standing over behind him along with Jude's sister, "Wait… you… you're Jude's sister. The crazy one." He pointed.

"Yeah… Jude." Punk nodded, grabbing Jeremy by the chin and pushing his neck back, standing up, "You know her? You know all about her?" He questioned.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jeremy asked with fear, trying to get out of the chair he had been tied to, obviously when he was unconscious.

"What? Am I doing something you don't like?" Punk spat, "Something you want me to stop doing?" He asked as Dean and Thea looked over.

"Yes. Please stop it." Jeremy begged, frightened to death as Punk let go and backed up, "What the hell is this?" Jeremy looked over at them, "What do you want? Just… just take whatever money you want-"

"Money?" Punk questioned, "You think I want money from you?" He screwed his face up, "I want a fucking explanation!" He hissed, punching Jeremy across the face as Thea and Dean both heard a crunch, cringing a little, but… not doing anything to stop it.

"And then after I get my explanation…" Punk crouched back down in front of Jeremy whose nose was bleeding onto the carpet as he slumped over the side of the chair, "After I get my explanation, I want your fingers, I want your toes, I want your tongue, your eyes… ears." Punk said as Thea looked over.

Was this the dad who got imprisoned for eight years? Was this the side of him he kept hidden from his family? The side only her uncle and mother knew. The dad who made bad decisions with bad people?

"Who else lives here?" Punk stood back up as Jeremy lifted his head.

"No one." Jeremy answered, dazed from the punch as Thea looked at his bloody face. She thought she would enjoy this, but the more she watched, the more it began to scare her.

"So why did you take Jude to a different location? To cover your ass?" Punk spat.

"What are you talking about?" Jeremy whined, "What's going on here?"

"Why'd you do it?" Punk shook his head, "Huh?" He asked, circling Jeremy like a vulture.

"Do what?" Jeremy shook his head, "Why are you doing this to me?" He questioned.

"You know what you did." Punk spat, "You invited Jude to that party, you knew she had a boyfriend and you're only solution was to drug her unconscious." He said.

"I didn't do anything-"

"You raped her!" Punk yelled, grabbing him by the throat as Thea jumped a little. She really didn't recognise her father like this. He was doing his own thing. He was in his own planet. And she couldn't help wonder if this was the dad she lost to prison twice in her life.

"What? No I didn't." Jeremy gasped as Punk loosened his grip on his throat a little, "I didn't touch Jude."

"You follow her and you stalk her." Thea added as Punk gripped Jeremy's throat.

"I just… I like her." Jeremy said, "I think she's a good artist and she's… she's really pretty but-"

"Shut up!" Punk yelled, not wanting to hear him say anything like that about Jude.

"I didn't do anything." Jeremy whined, "I was with another girl that night. I was with Kirsty." He gasped.

"What?" Thea shook her head.

"You're fucking lying." Punk spat. Of course, he had it in his head that this was the guy who had assaulted his daughter. He had his mind on that and nothing else, so the possibility that Jeremy was innocent just wasn't registering.

"I'm not. I swear. I was with Kirsty. We left Jude at the bar. I didn't see her again." Jeremy shook his head.

"You're fucking lying!" Punk yelled, punching Jeremy again with frustration as Thea jumped.

"Dad." Thea said with concern whilst Dean stayed out of it, spectating only, "Dad, what if it's… what if it's not him?"

"It's him." Punk shook his head.

* * *

"Hey!" Cassie called, walking into Thea and Dominic's house with her backpack, "Thea?" She called, walking through to the kitchen where Dominic was standing, tossing is phone down on the table with frustration, "Hey." Cassie said suspiciously.

"Hey, Cassie." Dominic said, stressed out as Thea wouldn't answer her phone.

"I uh… I came to see Jude." Cassie said, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. Jude is upstairs." Dominic said, "Would you hold the fort here. I gotta… I gotta go do something." He said, grabbing his phone and keys.

"Wait… Dominic…" Cassie called, watching him rush down the hall and out of the house as she sighed to herself.

Unfortunately, her mother had sat her down this morning and told her about Jude and what had happened. Like everybody else, shock was the immediate reaction. She really wasn't sure what she could do to help her sister.

She left the kitchen, walking upstairs with her backpack and heading through to Thea's bedroom where Jude was currently residing.

Cassie walked in, looking over at Jude sitting up in bed, her teddy bear beside her whilst the TV played across from her.

"Hey, Jude." Cassie said quietly as Jude turned her head.

"It's like a damn revolving door up here." Jude shook her head as Cassie gulped, "You're lucky you're my favourite." She nodded as Cassie smiled. She was naturally closer to Jude than she was Thea due to the age. And Jude had a soft spot for Cassie, not just because she was the baby of the family, but they had very similar personalities.

"It looks like no one is even in the house right now." Cassie shook her head, sitting up on the bed beside Jude, taking her backpack off.

"Good. Some peace and quiet." Jude smiled, "You didn't have to come see me." She nudged Cassie's arm. Even with all the pain and emotions she was dealing with, she still wanted to protect her sister from this incident and all the hurt that came with it.

"I wanted to." Cassie nodded, "And I brought you some things." She said, unzipping her backpack as Jude watched, "Mom said you've been resting and watching TV so I figured maybe you could use a break from that." She said, taking out the sketch pads and pencils from the bag as Jude raised her eyebrows.

"Hey… you didn't buy this for me, did you?" Jude sat up a little. She knew how expensive the sketch pad and pencils were that she'd brought.

"Well mom and dad give me money cause I was supposed to be going to the movies yesterday but we just stayed instead, so I had spare money left over. I suppose I should have gave it back but they won't notice." Cassie shrugged, "I thought you could maybe do some of your drawings." She nodded as Jude smiled.

"To be honest, I don't know what I'd draw." Jude shook her head, taking the large sketch pad and looking at it. It was the first time she'd looked at a canvas, a piece of blank paper, and had not a single clue what to draw. She felt like her mind was fried.

"Maybe something will come to you." Cassie nodded, "It's here if you wanna pick up and do something." She shrugged as Jude smiled.

"Thank you for bringing me this." Jude nodded as Cassie shrugged.

"I know how much you say it makes you happy." Cassie nodded, "Figured this might go down better than a hug." She said as Jude smiled.

"I'm still accepting hugs if you want." Jude said as Cassie nodded, kneeling up and wrapping her arms around her big sister.

"Hey, maybe you could sketch me a tattoo." Cassie pulled back from the hug as Jude smiled.

"You're fifteen." Jude scoffed, "Plus, I thought your first tattoo was gonna be the dragon?"

"Yeah, I guess." Cassie nodded, "I don't know where I want it, though. Maybe on my ankle." She wiggled her feet back and forth, looking at her ankles as Jude smiled.

"Just don't get it on the bottom of your back." Jude nodded.

"What do you take me for?" Cassie scoffed as Jude smiled, holding the sketch pad in her hands, running her hand over the first blank page and sighing to herself. Her brain felt as blank as the paper, yet too messy to explain to anyone.

* * *

"Dad! Stop it!" Thea yelled.

"Ok, buddy. That's enough." Dean pulled Punk back, using all his strength to do so, "That's enough!" Dean yelled, pushing Punk back who stumbled back from Jeremy, his bloody fists still clenched.

"Oh my God." Thea cried, placing her hand over her mouth as she saw Jeremy's face, looking over at her father who didn't even look phased, "What is wrong with you?!" Thea screamed as Punk looked across at her.

Punk shook Dean away from him, looking on at Jeremy and stumbling to the side towards Thea, "You wanted a front row ticket." Punk told her before walking past her and leaving the house as Thea shook her head.

"Phil." Dean snapped, going after Punk as Thea looked over at Jeremy who was slouched on the chair with a bloody face. After countless times of Jeremy insisting he wasn't anywhere near Jude at the party, and had actually gone home with Kirsty, Punk still never backed down.

"Phil!" Dean yelled angrily, running out of the house.

"What?!" Punk yelled back, turning around, wiping the blood that was on his hands onto his jeans.

"I'm not letting you go off all hot like this." Dean said, "That kid in there didn't do this."

"You don't know that." Punk said frantically.

"He was with someone else. He has an alibi." Dean said, "He didn't do this to Jude. He's just a weird kid who… who had a crush on her." He shook his head, "He didn't rape her." He said as Punk crouched down, clasping his hands over his mouth and cursing to himself.

"Hey!" Dominic ran down the street as Dean turned around, "Hey, it's not him. It's not him." He said breathlessly.

"Little late, pal." Dean said stressfully.

"I was calling Thea all night. I spoke to Kirsty, Jude's roommate… she was with Jeremy that night. It can't be him." Dominic shook his head, noticing the blood on Punk's hands, "What the hell happened?" He questioned, "Where is Thea?" He asked, wandering into the house worriedly.

Punk stood back up straight and began to walk away.

"Phil!" Dean yelled, "Where the hell you going? Come fix this!" He shouted, watching his brother walk off down the dark street, shaking his head and rubbing his hands over his face.

He walked back into the house, making his way into the living room where Thea and Dominic had untied Jeremy and were cleaning his face, helping him and cleaning his face up. It appeared they might have gotten it wrong. It may have been the wrong timing for Jeremy, but that didn't make this ok.

"I'm so sorry." Thea whispered, looking at Jeremy who was lying on the couch, barely conscious.


	69. Different Times

**Different Times**

* * *

Punk found his way back home after wandering through the streets he knew all too well. He walked into his house, closing the door over behind him. The blood that was on his hands was now dried in, underneath his fingernails with some wiped on his jeans too. He couldn't convince himself there was a possibility it wasn't Jeremy. He was already too far gone to stop. He wanted someone to be mad at. He wanted the person who did this, because realising the actual person who hurt his daughter was still out there, was too much.

He looked in the empty living room and through to the kitchen, stumbling around in a daze, not knowing what to do with himself. He hadn't quite felt rage like tonight in many, many years. Not since his younger days when the streets were raising him. But he couldn't help it.

He walked up the stairs, taking one step at a time, reaching the top and looking on at Cassie's bedroom door. He opened up the door quietly, looking in and seeing his fifteen year old fast asleep in her bed. It was then he realised it must have been late, and he must have been wandering the streets for a while.

He closed his youngest daughter's door over, walking down the hall, beginning to hear his wife's voice singing from their spare bedroom, which used to be Jude's room, now turned into a part-time nursery for James whenever they babysat him.

He stood at the door, watching as AJ stood by the window with James in her arms, singing to him softly, the same way she used to sing to Thea and Jude when they were babies, the same way he wished he could have saw her sing to Cassie as a baby.

Whenever he saw her with James, in reminded him of when the girls were younger. Fond memories. When they were babies and he promised to protect them from everything and everyone…

"_That's cute." Punk nodded to himself, standing at the fridge in his kitchen late on one night, chugging down a bottle of water as he saw the new picture his six year old daughter had drew. It appeared to be an alien, or maybe it was a dinosaur. He knew it was green at least._

_He'd just gotten off from the night shift down at the docks, and he knew his three girls would be in bed. Tiptoeing around the place was necessary. He couldn't think of anything worse than disturbing his favourite people._

_He left the kitchen, turning the light off as he cracked his neck side to side, heading upstairs tiredly. He hated the night shift. It meant he missed the night and the morning with his girls, but sometimes getting to come home and see how peaceful they were was pretty great._

_He reached the top of the stairs, walking over to Thea's bedroom, opening it up and chuckling as he saw the six year old almost hanging out of her bed._

_He walked over, pushing some of the stuffed toys out of the way on the floor, lifting her into the centre of her bed as she stirred a little, almost waking up._

"_Shh, it's ok." Punk said softly, stroking her cheek softly as he pulled the covers up around her, leaning down and kissing her head, giving her the goodnight kiss he never got a chance to when she was initially going to bed._

_He left the bedroom, closing the door over and making his way next door, pausing at the doorway as he saw his wife standing in the nursery with their six month old baby girl, singing to her and bouncing her lightly in her arms. He could have watched it on repeat forever._

"_What are you looking at?" AJ whispered, watching as Jude kept lifting her little head, "Are you looking out the window?" She asked, walking over to the window with her in her arms, "You like the moon, huh?" She smiled, kissing her sweet little head as Jude leaned her head against her chest._

"_You know mommy and daddy love you all the way to the moon and all the way back." AJ said, brushing her hand over Jude's wispy dark hair, "And let me tell you, that moon is forever away." She nodded, "Huh, sweet girl." AJ said softly, rubbing Jude's back softly, listening as the door opened a little wider, turning around and spotting Punk walking in._

"_Hey." Punk smiled._

"_Oh, hey." AJ smiled tiredly, "God, is that what time it is?" She raised her eyebrows, not realising it was that late._

"_Yeah. What are you two doing up?" Punk asked, looking on at Jude, smiling as he saw her cheeky little smile as she clung onto AJ's t-shirt, "What are you up to, cheeky?" He smiled, caressing the back of her head, leaning down and kissing her cheek._

"_Well she woke me up and for some reason… she won't go back down. She keeps looking out here." She said, "I think she can see the moon."_

"_It's a full one tonight." Punk noticed, "Maybe she's a werewolf."_

"_Maybe." AJ chuckled, watching as Jude lifted her head, watching Punk closely. If there was one thing she knew, it was that Jude was a big fan of Punk, "She's watching you." AJ smiled as Punk turned around, noticing Jude was staring at him, in all her perfect little self._

"_Oh, hi." Punk smiled, "You want a hug?" He asked, extending his hands out, taking Jude from AJ and giving her a squeeze, "Hi, baby girl." He smiled, kissing her head. _

_She really was the sweetest baby ever. She was quiet but charming. He went into his second round of fatherhood thinking it'd be similar to the first, but realising it was very different. Thea as a baby was a work-out. It was watching out for her sticking her fingers in sockets and biting through cables. Jude was very zen and calm, and boy did she love cuddles._

"_You should be asleep." Punk whispered to her, "Are you keeping mommy awake?" He asked her, taking her little handle._

"_I don't mind." AJ smiled, stroking the back of Jude's head, "How was work?" She asked, cupping his cheek._

"_It was ok. My neck is so screwed up, though." He shook his head._

"_I told you. All that heavy lifting has gotta be bad for you. You should see a specialist." AJ shook her head._

"_No, I'll be fine." Punk shook his head, "Nothing a little rub from my wife won't fix." He smirked._

"_Oh, you think so?" She smiled._

"_You've got healing hands." He nodded as she shook her head._

"_You're just chancing your luck." She nodded._

"_Maybe." Punk smiled, "How was bedtime? I see there's a new picture on the fridge."_

"_Yeah she made it for you. It's an alien." AJ nodded._

"_You know, that was my first thought." Punk said, "She made it for me?" He smiled._

"_Yeah but then she wouldn't go to bed." AJ shook her head, "She's a little rascal."_

"_What'd she do?" Punk chuckled. _

"_Hid from me when I was waiting for her to go for her bath. Then when she got in the bath she unplugged it right away so here I am quickly trying to wash her hair before the water runs out, she's laughing hysterical at me." AJ shook her head._

"_You couldn't just run more water in?" Punk chuckled._

"_Oh, I did. Five times. She kept unplugging it." AJ nodded as Punk chuckled, "And then she'd laugh exactly like that. She's literally your mini me just… more evil." She shook her head as Punk nodded._

"_Evil? Really?" Punk nodded._

"_Well of course she's always an angel for you." AJ rolled her eyes as Punk chuckled, "Got her out of the bath and then she wouldn't get dried so she was just running around the house naked. I had to run and close all the curtains." She said as Punk nodded, "The kid is insane, Phil."_

"_She's funny." Punk nodded as AJ just smiled._

"_She went to bed around seven and then Jude went down about eight." AJ nodded, "I fell asleep in the bath."_

"_Nice." Punk nodded._

"_Got out and just went into bed but then this little one woke me back up about half an hour ago." AJ said, "I don't know if she just wanted a little cuddle. Her diaper is clean." AJ shrugged._

"_Yeah, well she likes a cuddle." Punk nodded._

"_Or maybe she just wanted a hug from daddy before bed." AJ said as Punk smiled._

"_Maybe." Punk nodded, looking down at Jude in his arms. Feeling her in his arms, her tiny little hands on him, the way she held onto him, it truly felt like his entire world, and all he ever wanted to do was protect his girls. To make them feel loved and safe._

"_She looks like she's falling asleep." AJ nodded, noticing Jude's little eyes._

"_Yeah, I'll put her down." Punk nodded, walking over to Jude's crib, putting her down and smiling as she held onto his hand for a little while longer, holding on until she fell asleep, "Sweet dreams, baby." He smiled, stroking her cheek softly._

"_You want that neck massage right now?" AJ asked him, heading out of the nursery as Punk looked over._

"_If you're down." Punk nodded, following her out of the nursery._

"_Only in exchange for something else." She smiled, walking backwards into their bedroom as Punk followed her._

"_Yeah, like what?" Punk smiled, closing their bedroom door over and stripping his t-shirt off as AJ smiled._

"_Keep stripping and then I'll decide." She smirked, pulling him into her by his belt, wrapping her arms around him as he picked her up, collapsing on the bed with her as they pulled each other's clothes off._

Punk stood outside James' nursery, looking on and watching as AJ sang to him sweetly, so sweet it was almost putting him to sleep as he stood watching.

He opened up the door a little further and walked in as AJ turned around.

"Oh, hey… look who it is." AJ whispered, turning around and smiling as she noticed him, her smile fading slowly as she looked at his face, "Phil." AJ said, looking him up and down, spotting the blood on his hands.

"Hey." Punk nodded, "How is he?" He smiled as AJ shook her head with confusion.

"Phil, what have you done?" AJ shook her head.


	70. It Wasn't Me

**It Wasn't Me**

* * *

"Phil…" AJ looked across at him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah? What?" Punk nodded calmly, watching as AJ put James down in his crib carefully, looking back up at Punk.

"Where… Where were you?" She whispered, eyes wide, heart thumping as she saw the blood on his hands.

"I was just… I was out. At the store." Punk nodded as AJ looked at him, shaking her head and walking out of the nursery, into their bedroom.

Punk left the nursery and followed her of course, knowing he had explaining to do. His wife let him get away with nothing, certainly not something like this.

"Phil… who… whose blood is this?" AJ shook her head, taking his hands, "What the hell were you doing? I mean… I knew you weren't going to the store like you told me but I didn't… I didn't think you were…" She paused for a second.

"It's fine. It's ok. I'm ok." Punk assured her as she backed up a little.

"Oh, please tell me you didn't do what I think you did." AJ placed her hands over her mouth and nose, "Please." She looked at him as he just stared back.

"It was him. I know it was." Punk nodded, sitting down on the edge of their bed as AJ watched him. He looked like he was high. Of course she knew he wasn't, but that's how he was acting. She'd never seen him like this. Sure, she'd seen him every other emotion under the sun, but never like this.

"Phil." AJ crouched down in front of him, "What did you do?" She asked calmly as Punk looked down at her.

"I couldn't stop it." Punk shook his head, "I… I did try. I promise." He nodded, "But he hurt her-"

"Who?" AJ asked, making sure she was on the same page as him. Making sue she knew that was she believed had happened was true.

"That kid Jeremy that Thea threatened." Punk said, "Had to be him." He whispered to himself.

"Oh my God." AJ stood up, placing her hands over her face, "Phil, he is a child-"

"He's twenty-one." Punk objected.

"And what age are you?" AJ batted back, "Is this… is this what you think Jude wants right now?" She questioned, "You think she wants this? Her dad thugging out on some kid who… who might not even have anything to do with this!" She yelled, "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking this sick fuck hurt my daughter. Drugged her unconscious. Raped her and left her. And he deserved to feel endless pain and misery for the rest of his life."

"You don't know it's him and it's not your job to figure it out." AJ said, "Let the police do the job-"

"The police?" Punk chuckled, "Oh, because they treat us so well, don't they? You know what they think of us. What they think of you and the girls." He said as AJ folded her arms, "Don't give me the police bullshit." He shook his head.

"Jude was questioned and examined thoroughly for almost an entire day. The detective who is building the case is a woman who Jude said was extremely nice to her. Sean is working around the clock to make sure everyone is doing their part." AJ said, "The police are not our enemy, Phil. Not this time."

"Yeah well they want to catch this guy. I want to kill him." Punk shrugged as AJ looked across at him.

"Oh my God… you're really serious." AJ realised. She thought before when he said it, he was just saying things out of pain, out of hurt and sadness. But now she realised he actually wanted this.

"Of course I'm serious." Punk nodded calmly.

"Oh, yeah. You go kill someone. See you in another eight years." AJ nodded to him, "You can't be serious with me right now."

"Do I look like I'm joking with you?" Punk asked her.

"This isn't you. You are not a violent person." AJ shook her head, "I know you. I know you more than you know you." She said, "You don't want to hurt anyone. You're just hurting for your daughter and you feel helpless. I get that. I feel the same." She nodded, "We all do." She threw her hands up, "It's not like when they were little and they… they fell off their bikes and got a cut leg. We could put a plaster on it and it'd be fine the next day. Or when they had a nightmare and we could let them come into our bed, to make sure they weren't scared anymore." AJ said, "This happened and we have no control over it." She said, "But guess what? It's not about us."

"I know that." Punk said.

"Then stop thinking about plotting YOUR revenge and think about Jude. What she needs right now-"

"You think I'm not thinking about her?" Punk stood up.

"You're thinking about what you need to help her and you haven't figured out yet that there isn't anything you can do-"

"I can find the person-"

"I thought you did tonight?" AJ caught him out.

"Yeah well… well he said he wasn't anywhere near her that night and then Dominic came and told Thea that… that Kirsty was with Jeremy-"

"Wait… Thea was there?" AJ shook her head.

"And Dean." Punk nodded.

"You're kidding me, right?" AJ shook her head, "What… What the hell were you all doing? Torturing this boy? God I am going to kill Thea." AJ spat angrily, "And Dean… when will he ever learn to stop following whatever you say and do-"

"Hey… they made their own decisions. They wanted to be there." Punk said.

"If Kirsty was with Jeremy that night… it obviously wasn't him." AJ said, "You understand that, right?"

"It had to have been." Punk said.

"Why? Because you want to have someone to blame? To take your anger out on?" AJ questioned.

"No, because he was stalking her before and… and he invited her to the party. That's why."

"That's not proof." AJ spat, "That's you jumping to conclusions and making up your own narrative." She said.

"Why are you mad at me right now? As if you don't know who I am? You've known me for thirty years. What did you think I would do? Sit and do nothing-"

"I thought you'd realise that Jude doesn't need this right now. She needs her family to support her and be there for her." AJ said, "And yeah, I have known you for thirty years and guess what? You never learn." She shook her head.

"I never learn? I… I don't believe we've ever been in this situation before!" Punk yelled angrily.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" AJ yelled back.

"Don't be mad at me for protecting my daughter." Punk said.

"This isn't protecting your daughter, Phil. This is just stupid." AJ shook her head, "Rio was right, you love so much, one day it's gonna destroy you-"

"What did you just say to me?" Punk walked closer to her as AJ looked up at him.

"You heard me." AJ gritted her teeth.

"Don't you dare say his name in this house again." Punk made clear as AJ looked at him.

"How badly did you hurt Jeremy?" AJ asked him as Punk walked back, sitting down on the bed and running his hands over his face.

"I don't know, April. He's still breathing." Punk shook his head.

"Oh. Oh, that's good then." AJ nodded sarcastically, "How bad is it?"

"He'll be fine." Punk shook his head, "I… I left but Dean and Thea were still there. Suddenly they don't think it was him."

"Because it wasn't. He was with Kirsty." AJ said, "That means he isn't even a suspect."

"I know he has something to do with it. I can tell." Punk nodded.

"Phil… you just want to believe that." AJ nodded, "Look at me." She crouched down in front of him, "He didn't rape her. He's just a kid who… who maybe had a crush on her. Who meant no harm." She said as Punk looked down at her, "And you've just beaten him to a pulp." She made clear. She wanted him to know. She wanted it to sink in. She wanted him to know where his anger had gotten him tonight.

"I thought… I just thought…" Punk paused, looking at his bloody hands, realising what this meant. The fact this boy was possibly innocent.

"You wanted someone to blame and I understand that." AJ said, "But you are… you are acting like a crazy person right now. I'm not scared. I'm worried about you." She nodded as Punk looked at her.

"So whoever did this is still out there?" Punk realised.

"Yes." AJ nodded as Punk put his hands over his face.

"I just want her to be safe." Punk muffled against his hands.

"She's safe now." AJ nodded, taking his hands from his face, "She's safe." She promised.

"As long as that person is still out there… I don't think she's safe. I don't feel like she's safe." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"I know." AJ nodded, "But for now, she's safe with her family, and the police are doing their job." She said as Punk looked at her. At times he was still in shock that this was happening, "You have to fix what you did tonight. Somehow." She said, "Because who taught you that consequences have actions? Not just for you but for all of us." She nodded, "Who made that very clear to you when you got out of prison?"

"Jude." Punk nodded, "Shit." Punk realised what he'd done, his shaking hands running over his hair, "Fuck, I… I thought it was him." He said, shaking as AJ nodded.

"You're ok." AJ nodded, standing up, wrapping her arms around him as he hugged around her waist, resting his head against her stomach, "But you have to fix this, and realise this is not your fight to fight. It's Jude's." She made clear as Punk sighed to himself.

* * *

"Can you get me more cloth?" Thea asked Dominic who ripped up more cloth, kneeling down at the side of the couch where Jeremy was lying up. Being a doctor, Thea was able to clean him up and stitch his deeper gashes up.

"I want an ambulance." Jeremy tried to sit up.

"Just stay where you are." Thea said firmly, "You're not getting an ambulance." She made clear as Dean sighed to himself.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Jeremy shook his head.

"Look I'm sorry." Thea said, "It's just… it's just a bad time right now." She said, cleaning his face up, "I'm a doctor so I… I know what I'm doing. I won't stitch you up wrong."

"You're still crazy." Jeremy said.

"Maybe." Thea said quietly, "Just stay still." She said, concentrating on stitching him up.

"Where'd he go?" Dominic asked Dean.

"I have no idea. Home hopefully. AJ will sort him out." Dean said, "In the meantime, we have to make sure this kid doesn't go talking to the cops."

"I can hear you." Jeremy said.

"Shut up." Dean said as Dominic sighed to himself.

"I should have gotten here sooner." Dominic shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous." Dean shook his head.

"So you were with Kirsty all night?" Thea asked, finishing up the last stitch, kneeling back a little.

"Y-Yeah." Jeremy shrugged as Thea looked at him.

"All night?" Thea questioned as Jeremy looked at her.

"Well I… I did see Jude again." Jeremy nodded as Dean looked over.

"Get out of the way." Dean moved Thea out of the way, grabbing Jeremy up from the couch, "Ok, kid… I don't have time for these fucking games. Do you want me to bring my lunatic brother back here? He wasn't kidding about taking your fingers and toes." He said as Jeremy gulped, "Talk. Talk now." He made clear.

"Well I did go home with Kirsty." Jeremy said, finding it hard to difficult to talk with how beaten his face was, "But she'd left her purse so I had to go back to the bar." He said, "When I got out of the cab I saw Jude walking out of the bar… well… she was stumbling. Could barely walk." He said as Thea stood up, standing over behind Dominic.

"Then what?" Dean gritted his teeth.

"Well obviously I wanted to help her. She was trying to put her coat on so I came up behind her and helped her. I… I was gonna take her back here and let her crash on my couch since I was… you know… spending the night with Kirsty at their apartment."

"So you just shipped her off because you wanted to get laid?" Thea spat angrily as Dominic held her back.

"I was trying to help her." Jeremy said, "I saw how messed up she was. I didn't think she'd been drugged, I just thought she was really drunk." He said, "So I was walking her down the street and then this guy came up to us."

"What guy?" Thea asked.

"Uh… he never said his name. He was my height. Dark hair. A little older I think." Jeremy nodded, "He said he knew Jude and that he'd help her to your house." He pointed to Thea.

"My house?" Thea asked.

"That's what he said." Jeremy nodded.

"And you just let her go?" Dean spat, "Are you a fucking idiot?!"

"I wasn't going to but then Jude kept mumbling, saying she knew him." Jeremy said.

"Jude was saying she knew him?" Thea questioned.

"Yeah." Jeremy said, "And I was kinda drunk too so… I don't know, maybe I didn't realise just how bad she was."

"And so you just let her go off with this guy?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, I… look, I didn't think anything bad would happen." Jeremy said, "I feel terrible now. Of course I do." He said, "But I swear it wasn't me who… who did it."

"No, you just delivered her off to her attacker." Thea nodded as Jeremy sighed.

"You'd remember what this guy looked like if they were to bring him in to the station?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Jeremy nodded.

"Which means we need you." Dean nodded, "You're probably the only one who could identify who raped Jude. Because she can't even identify him." He said, "Do you understand me?"

"Y-Yeah." Jeremy nodded.

"She said she knew him?" Thea asked again, puzzled.

"Yeah, but… she was a mess so… I don't know." Jeremy shrugged as Dean stood up straight and sighed.

"Ok." Dean nodded to himself, turning to Thea and Dominic, "Those bruises and cuts need to heal before he goes to the cops." He made clear, turning back to Jeremy, "You say a word about what happened tonight, what my brother done to you, it'll be me who deals with you next time." He made clear, "And make this a lesson learnt that you don't leave intoxicated, drugged young girls with men who just appear from nowhere." He grabbed Jeremy by the chin as he winced.

"Fine… ok, I won't… I won't say anything about tonight." Jeremy nodded as Dean let him go, "I really am sorry. I… I hope she's ok."

"She's not." Thea spat, walking out of the living room and out of the house. She couldn't bear the thought that her sister could possibly know who her attacker was in person. It was a horrid thought.


	71. New Year

**New Year**

* * *

"Hey, Jude. Can I come in?" Sean knocked on the bedroom door.

"Sure. I am exactly where I was when you left last night." Jude nodded, watching her boyfriend walking into the bedroom, holding a bottle of champagne, two glasses and a bag which she could see had some of her favourite snacks, "What are you doing?" She shook her head.

"Well… I uh… I figured it's our first new years eve together." Sean nodded, "And I really wanna spend my night with you."

"Really? Cooped up in this lovely bedroom?" Jude asked him.

"Really." Sean smiled, sitting down on the bed.

"This looks fancy." Jude smiled tiredly, taking the champagne from him and looking at it closely. Even though all she'd been doing was sleeping, she felt tired all the time.

"It'll probably taste disgusting." Sean nodded, "So just in case I brought you some of your finest cocktails in a can." He pulled the cans out of the bag as Jude smiled.

"Oh, how you know me." Jude smiled as Sean nodded, "I haven't… I haven't showered in days." She realised, "I've not left this bedroom." She shook her head as Sean sighed.

"No one blames you." Sean said, "We can't… we can't understand what you're going through but… we can be there and… whatever you need, whatever works best for you… we'll support it."

"I feel like I wanna stay in this bedroom forever. Do you support that?" Jude sighed as Sean turned to her.

"I can't tell you it'll ever get better because I don't know, but it… it won't always feel as dull as this." He nodded, "I promise you I'll make sure of that." He said, leaning over and kissing her head as she smiled softly.

"Thank you for still wanting to spend time with me right now." Jude nodded. She couldn't think why anyone would even want to talk to her with how low her energy was.

"Hey… you're not letting this take away your identity. You're still you." Sean took her hand.

"I don't feel like me anymore." Jude shook her head. She couldn't explain it. She wished someone could just understand what she felt, "I just feel like I'm my attack." She said, "And that it's never gonna be the same again."

"Hey, look at me." He took her hand in his, "You are so much more than what has happened. So much more." He shook his head, "I promise you that it will get better. For now it's gonna feel like that but that's what we're all here for." He said, kissing her hand as Jude smiled.

"Well actually my sister and Dominic haven't been home in almost twenty four hours." Jude nodded, "They left last night and they haven't been back home yet." She shrugged, "I think they're up to something."

"What do you mean?" Sean shook his head.

"Well it's my family. In case you haven't noticed, they're pretty insane." Jude nodded, "And they also don't trust police." She said, "So putting those two together, I just think they're taking matters into their own hands if you know what I mean."

"They can't do that." Sean shook his head, "They're just gonna get themselves into trouble." He said, "Trust me, Karen is one of the best detectives in the city. She doesn't miss a beat. She's gonna find this person. They're working around the clock." He nodded.

"Honestly… it was nice to just be on my own for a day. I couldn't handle the constant questions like… are you ok? Do you want something to eat? Do you need to talk?" Jude sighed, "It was nice to just sit."

"They just care." Sean said.

"Oh, I know." Jude nodded, "Cassie came by and dropped this off last night." She leaned over at the side of the bed, bringing out the sketch pad.

"Oh, what's this?" Sean smiled.

"A really cool sketch pad." Jude said, "She said it was in case I wanted to draw something up but… my mind has never felt so blank yet so… messed up at the same time." She shook her head.

"Hey, you never know. Something might come to your mind. Always good to have by your side." Sean said as Jude nodded with a smile, "That was nice of Cassie."

"Yeah, she's a sweetheart." Jude smiled, "I'm sorry this isn't an exciting new years eve." She shook her head.

"Don't be ridiculous." Sean shook his head, "As long as I'm spending it with you, and I get to kiss you when the ball drops… I don't care where we are." He looked at her with a smile as she smiled back.

She appreciated his words and his support. He came at the right times, when she needed someone to hold her, someone to listen to her and tell her things would get better. She had so much doubts about him even sticking around, and she felt bad for thinking that after the way he'd proved himself. His patience and his understanding was key in all of this.

"Maybe I should text Thea and see if she's ok." Jude nodded to herself, "But I… I think my phone is downstairs." She realised.

"They've really been gone for almost a full day?" Sean asked.

"Yeah, they left last night. I heard them go out one after the other." Jude said, "And they've not been back."

"What do you guys normally do for new years eve?" Sean asked.

"We've gone to my Uncle's Dean since we were little girls." Jude nodded, "Maybe they're… maybe they're all there celebrating." She shrugged.

"I don't think so." Sean shook his head, "I'm sure they'll show up at some point."

"I don't really care. I'm just glad you're here." Jude nodded, snuggling into him as he wrapped an arm around her.

She didn't like the fuss. She didn't enjoy the constant questions. She knew it was her family looking out for her, but it was just constantly a reminder of what was going on. What she was desperate to escape from. Sitting with Sean, enjoying some snacks and terrible TV was all she needed right now. For the time being.

* * *

"What the hell are you going to do?" Thea questioned, watching Punk walk into the living room.

"You two are still here?" Punk groaned tiredly.

Thea and Dominic had come from Jeremy's through the night, crashing on the couch at AJ and Punk's house and sleeping through to the afternoon. AJ had gone out with James for some fresh air whilst Punk was doing everything he could to avoid his family, avoid the shame and disappointment.

"Yes we're still here." Thea stood up, "You fucked up, big time-"

"And you watched me." Punk nodded, "You were all for it when we thought it was him."

"Yeah well point is it's not him." Thea said.

"But… we did find out something from him when you left." Dominic nodded as Punk turned to him.

"What?" Punk asked curiously, "What'd you find out?" He said desperately.

"I don't even wanna hear it again." Thea sighed, sitting back down on the couch, "You tell him." She told Dominic as Punk turned to Dominic, waiting.

"Well Jeremy said that he did go home with Kirsty but she forgot her purse or something, so he went back to the bar." Dominic explained, "When he got back he saw Jude coming out and she was falling over the place, trying to get her jacket on. He assumed she was just really drunk." He said as Punk's shoulders tightened as he took a deep breath, "So he said he would walk her home, take her to his place so she could crash and he would go back to see Kirsty, but then some guy came up to him and said that he knew Jude and that he'd get her home safely." Dominic said.

"You're kidding me." Punk said as Dominic shook his head, "W-What and… and Jeremy just left her?!" He exclaimed as Thea closed her eyes.

"He was saying that Jude was mumbling that she knew him. The guy that appeared."

"She was drugged out of her mind." Punk said, "Is that fuck stupid?" He spat.

"He also said he was drunk too so he wasn't really aware of how bad Jude was." Thea added.

"So he just left her with this stranger?" Punk asked as Dominic nodded.

"And that's probably who attacked her." Dominic nodded as Punk shook his head, rubbing his hands over his face aggressively.

"But you best hope Jeremy doesn't go to the police about you beating him up. It wasn't him, clearly-"

"Yeah? Well I don't feel as guilty anymore because he sent my daughter off to a rapist so… fuck him, he deserved what he got and I don't feel bad." Punk made clear as Dominic nodded to himself.

"I uh… I kinda feel the same." Dominic agreed as Thea turned to him.

"You were like a different person." Thea said, turning back to Punk, "I've saw you angry before. Remember that time I got brought home by the police and you wouldn't talk to me for days and you were so mad-"

"With all due respect, Thea, we're talking about someone attacking your sister. It's a little different." Punk said as Thea sighed to herself, folding her arms.

"You still can't act like this, dad. Mom is right, you will end up back in prison again. How do you really think Jude would feel? On top of everything else that's going on? If you were to go back inside?" Thea said as Punk shook his head.

"She's right." Dominic agreed.

"Don't you think I know?" Punk shook his head, "Did he say he was gonna go to the cops?" He asked worriedly.

"No, we managed to convince him not to, but only because we made him feel guilty about leaving Jude." Thea said, "He's gonna go to the cops and tell them what happened, describe what the guy looked like. Might not be much but… it's more than we had yesterday." Thea said as Punk nodded.

"And when the cops take a look at his face?" Punk said, "Don't you think they're gonna question it?"

"He's just gonna say he got into a fight at a party." Dominic nodded, "Dean made sure he's gonna say that." He said as Punk nodded to himself.

"Ok." Punk nodded, "Did you guys crash here?" He wondered.

"Yeah, I was scared to go back home in case Jude asked where we were." Thea said, "I was too shook up to explain it all to her. I'm sure once Jeremy goes to the cops, that detective in charge will phone or swing by to see Jude." She nodded, "Sean says she's one of the best detectives in the city."

"Yeah well if she proves it I'll believe it." Punk said.

* * *

"Why does the TV have to be so bad on new years eve?" Sean groaned, lying in bed with Jude watching TV. She'd had one sip of champagne and hadn't touched it since. Instead she was just lying into him, really not saying much.

"Because everyone is out celebrating." Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose." Sean nodded.

"I haven't heard from Karen. She said she'd call me every now and then or she'd come by. I thought by now they would have found out who the house belongs to that I was in." Jude said.

"They'll be working on it, trust me." Sean kissed her head.

"Part of me doesn't even want to know." Jude realised, "I mean if they… if they catch this person, that means I see his face and… what if that never leaves me?" She wondered.

"It will." Sean nodded, "If you don't want to see him you don't have to." He assured her, "Whatever works for you, whatever is best for you… do it. Don't think about anyone else but you right now."

"But part of me also wants to look him in the eye and make sure he knows what he's done." Jude nodded, "But I don't think I could bring myself to do that."

"You're stronger than you think, Jude." Sean said.

"Well I have never felt so weak in my entire life." Jude admitted. She figured she could be honest about it, she had nothing else to lose at this point.

Sean looked down at her, noticing she was crying, "Come here." Sean sighed, wrapping his arms around her tighter as she hugged into him, "I know there's nothing I can say to make this better." He nodded, rubbing her arm softly as Jude looked over at the TV, noticing the new year had already been counted in.

"Happy new year." Jude nodded through her tears as Sean looked over at the TV, noticing it had indeed passed midnight.

"Happy new year." Sean sighed, kissing her head and holding her tightly. In a way, he'd never felt closer to her, but for all the wrong reasons.

Jude wound up falling asleep shortly after. Sean had to leave her when he heard a knock at the door. He made his way from the bedroom and headed downstairs.

He opened up the door and saw Karen standing, "Oh, hey." Sean nodded.

"Hi, Sean." Karen smiled, "Sorry it's a little inconvenient timining." She said, "Is Jude awake?"

"No, she's asleep right now." Sean said, "Is everything ok? What's up?"

"Well it's about the house that Jude came from the night she was attacked." Karen nodded.


	72. House

**House**

* * *

"Does the name Vincent Monroe mean anything to you? Or to Jude?" Karen asked, standing in Thea's living room with Sean after he welcomed in.

"No… never heard the name." Sean shook his head.

"Well we searched the house that Jude came from, that's who it belongs to. We asked around at some neighbours and they said he's been out of town for weeks now." Karen said.

"Who is he? Do you know anything about him?" Sean questioned.

"Yeah, he's in his late forties. He runs a pub downtown. Criminal record from when he was younger but… nothing much to say about him." Karen said, "We uh… we did find some things, though… in the house." She said, listening to footsteps coming down the stairs as she paused.

"Hey, I thought I heard your voice." Jude came into the living room. Her hair was tangled and tied back whilst she had a hoodie and some sweats on, the same clothes she'd been wearing for a few days.

"Hi, sweetie." Karen smiled, "Happy new year." She nodded.

"Happy new year." Jude nodded, not really taking in the fact it was a new year yet, "Have you found something?"

"Well not as much as we'd like to have, but we have found some things." Karen said, "I was just saying to Sean that the house you came from, it belongs to a forty seven year old man called Vincent Monroe. Does that name mean anything to you?"

"Never heard of him." Jude shook her head, wondering. Wondering was this the name of the man who attacked her. Was he really almost fifty? What did he look like? Does he have family? Was he alone? She had so many disturbing thoughts running through her mind.

"Ok well we asked around the neighbours and they said he's been out of town for weeks. They haven't seen him." Karen said, "But as far it goes, he is our suspect at the moment." She made clear as Jude nodded slowly.

"You said you found some things in the house." Sean said as Karen nodded.

"Yeah we found your underwear, Jude." Karen nodded, "But we took it in as evidence." She said as Jude nodded, "And we… also found some pictures." She said as Jude raised her eyebrows.

"Pictures of what?" Jude tilted her head as Sean ran his hand through his hair.

"Pictures of you, whilst you were being attacked." Karen said as Jude raised her eyebrows, not really believing such a thing, "We'll take them in as evidence but… no one will ever see them, I can assure you that." Karen nodded as Jude stood still, not saying anything. There really wasn't anything she could say at this point.

"Hypothetically, let's say this… Vincent guy is out of town, and has been out of town… who would it be then? Shouldn't we see who has access to his house? Call him up or track him down?"

"We're doing that." Karen nodded, looking over at Jude who wasn't saying much of anything, "And we're almost certain that this attack is entirely different from the others. It's a different nature. This seems… more evil than normal." She admitted.

"I want to see the pictures." Jude said as Karen looked at her.

"Jude." Sean shook his head.

"If anyone is seeing them, it's me." Jude said as Karen nodded.

"They're locked in evidence right now. If you sleep on it and still want to see them, you can come to the station and I'll let you see them." Karen said as Jude nodded.

"Ok." Jude nodded, wandering away out of the living room, in her own daydream.

"I really hope she changes her mind about seeing those pictures." Sean sighed as Karen nodded.

"Ultimately it's her decision." Karen nodded, "We're in the middle of contacting Vincent, we're also talking to the bar Jude was at, questioning them to see if there was anyone suspicious hanging around. Just covering all the bases."

"Yeah, sure." Sean said, "What's the chances it was this Vincent guy?"

"I can't say. If he's out of town like his neighbours said, probably wasn't him but we can't be sure." Karen said as Sean nodded, "I'll be in touch. I'll see myself out." She said as Sean nodded, watching her leave the room. She was a very simple and brief woman. All about business and doing her job to the best she could. Exactly someone they needed on their side right now.

Sean made his way out of the living room and into the kitchen where Jude was sitting at the table.

"I thought he'd be my age." Jude lifted her head, looking over at him.

"What?" Sean shook his head.

"The guy who did it." Jude said, "I never… I never even thought it would be someone old." She shook her head.

"Well Karen says they're treating him as a suspect but they won't know anything for sure until they find him and talk to him." Sean nodded, sitting down at the table across from her.

"Why would he take pictures?" Jude whispered, "And leave them for the police to find?"

"I… I don't know." Sean shook his head. A lot of the time, he didn't really know what to say to Jude. There wasn't much he could say to help or make it seem ok, and that was difficult.

"Wasn't it enough? To do what he did?" Jude shook her head, "Without taking pictures of me?"

"Jude, people like that are just… they're wrong. They're not human. They never will be. There's something very wrong with people like that-"

"And why did he choose me?" Jude questioned, "What'd I ever do to anyone?" She questioned. She'd had a lot of why me moments, but as she heard about the photographs, it was the biggest why me moment she'd ever felt.

"I… I don't know." Sean shook his head as Jude stood up, the kitchen chair tipping over as she did so, "Jude." He sighed with concern, standing up.

"No, just go." Jude nodded.

"I'm not going." Sean shook his head.

"Just go!" Jude yelled as Sean looked across at her, "Go." She said, beginning to cry as Sean shook his head, walking over to her.

"No. I'm not." Sean said, wrapping his arms around her as she cried into him loudly. She didn't think things could feel worse than they were… and yet, it felt like it was getting worse.

* * *

"Is he good?" Dominic asked as Thea shut their car door over after strapping baby James in his car carrier.

"Yeah, he's sleeping." She nodded, "Sean text earlier and said he'd spent the night with Jude." She said as Dominic nodded.

"Are we telling her about Jeremy?" Dominic asked.

"Of course we are." Thea said, "She deserves to know. He's going to the cops to tell them what happened anyway so… she'll find out one way or another."

"Hey, you forgot his hat." Punk said, walking out of the house with James' little beanie hat.

"Oh, yeah." Thea realised, taking the hat from him.

"You both look exhausted." Punk said, "Go home and try and get some sleep." He suggested.

"Sleep? What's that?" Thea shook her head.

"I'm serious." Punk said, "No more of this… we let the police do their job and we… we're there for Jude, that's our focus." He said as Thea nodded.

"What happened to taking fingers and toes?" Thea folded her arms.

"Maybe I'll just keep whatever plans I have to myself." Punk said.

"Or just don't do anything stupid." Thea suggested, "You're right… Jude needs us. And we've been giving her attacker more attention than her." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Punk nodded, disappointed in himself more than anything, "Just get yourselves home safe and get some sleep. Get the little one in bed." He said as Thea nodded.

"We will." Thea nodded, wrapping her arms around him, giving him a hug as he kissed her head.

"You ok?" Punk whispered as Thea nodded, breaking away from the hug, drying her teary eyes. She just couldn't stop thinking about her sister and what she must have been going through.

"She's right." Dominic added, "Doing something stupid right now isn't worth it." He shook his head as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Punk nodded, patting him on the arm, "On you go, get out of here." He encouraged as Dominic nodded, getting into the car whilst Thea walked around, "Thea."

"Yeah?" Thea said.

"Just… tell me one thing." Punk nodded, walking closer to Thea, "The address that Jude came from." He said, "Because if it didn't have anything to do with Jeremy…. It's gotta belong to someone."

"Dad." Thea sighed tiredly.

"I'm just asking." Punk said defensively.

"I don't know the address. It's across from the park. And it's the house with the black door. The rest are white doors." Thea explained as Punk nodded slowly.

"Across from the park?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah." Thea said, "But don't…" She pointed her finger at him, "Don't you do anything. Or I'll be taking your fingers and toes." She warned as Punk put his hands up.

"Ok. I won't." Punk nodded, "If Jude is awake when you get home, tell her me and mom will come see her tomorrow. We'll spend the day with her."

"Ok." Thea said, "Goodnight." She nodded to him, getting into the car, closing the door over as Punk watched them drive away.

He made his way back into his house, calling up to his wife, "Ape! You wanna go for a walk?!" He called.

* * *

"It's too cold for this." AJ sighed, holding Punk's hand as she walked with him down the dark street.

"It's not far." Punk said.

"And what are you gonna do? Just stand outside and stare at it?" AJ questioned.

"No, I just… I just want to see it. We spent a lot of time in this area." He said.

"Yeah." AJ nodded to herself, "We did."

"Thea said it's the one with the black door, not white." Punk said.

"And it's across from the park?" AJ asked him as Punk nodded, "I… I don't even know if I want to see it." She sighed, "And I don't think you should either." She said, "You're not pulling anymore dumb shit. This isn't our job."

"I just want to see something." Punk said curiously.

"See what?" AJ shook her head, "It's a house, just like any other." She said, turning the corner as they began walking down the street of which the house was on, starting to notice something, "Wait a second…" AJ said as they both began to slow down, coming up to the house, "Is this…"

"Holy shit." Punk nodded to himself, looking across at the park and back to the house, which now had a black door as oppose to white back when he was nineteen.

"Is this the house that…" AJ gulped.

"I got arrested in this house when I was nineteen." Punk said.

"Yeah… this was the suppliers." AJ realised, "Rio always came here and I… that's the address I gave Hamilton to try and get him but… he got you instead." AJ said as Punk shook his head with confusion.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Punk spat angrily, "I know whose house this is… or… was."

* * *

"_Brooks, what the hell you doing here?" Vincent opened up the door, expecting his friend Rio but instead getting Punk._

"_Rio sent me in tonight instead." Nineteen year old Punk said, walking into the house. He was in a pretty big mess. Between losing his best friend and love of his life, practically cheating on her and finding out he was going to be a dad all in the one week… he knew his brain was pretty messed up, so he did what he knew best and went out to work. Or what he described as work._

"_On your own?" Vincent chuckled, walking through to the living room as Punk followed._

"_It appears so." Punk nodded, "What am I taking?" He asked._

"_In the kitchen." Vincent nodded, walking through to the kitchen as Punk followed, "All in boxes this time, instead of the sandbags."_

"_Thank God for that." Punk shook his head, "Help me start loading up." He nodded, grabbing one of the boxes, walking through the living room, pausing when he saw cop cars pulling up outside, the blue flashing lights blinding, "Hey!" Punk yelled, "What the fuck is this?!" _

"_Huh?" Vincent walked out into the living room, "Shit." He panicked, "Fuck." He ran off out into the kitchen._

"_Hey!" Punk yelled, listening as the front door was kicked in. He dropped the box he was holding, watching as the cops came in charging at him, forcing him against one of the walls._

"_Well well well…" Hamilton smiled, watching as Punk was pinned against one of the walls face first as another cop cuffed him up, "Didn't expect you to be here." He said, seriously as it went over Punk's head, "Let's take a look in these boxes, shall we?" He hummed._

"_Fuck you." Punk spat as he felt his head slammed against the wall. _

_The cops of course inspected all the boxes, knowing fine well what they were looking at._

"_Get him in the car." Hamilton spat as Punk was dragged out of the house and into the car._


	73. Knowing The Feeling

**Knowing The Feeling**

* * *

"Do you wanna go put him down?" Thea asked, walking into their house whilst Dominic carried James.

"Yeah, I'll go." Dominic nodded, heading upstairs with James as Thea took her jacket off, walking through the house and into the kitchen where she saw Sean sitting at the table, drinking from a bottle of champagne.

"Hey." Thea said as Sean nodded to her.

"Hey." Sean said.

"It's probably best not to bring alcohol into two alcoholics' house." Thea nodded.

"It's finished, don't worry." Sean nodded, sitting the bottle down, "Wish it was doing something for me but it's not."

"Where is Jude?" Thea asked.

"Asleep." Sean nodded.

"You've been here all night?" Thea asked.

"Yeah." Sean nodded, "Which evidently, you haven't." He said, "She needs more than just me around-"

"Yeah well we got accidentally caught up in something." Thea said.

"Yeah well Jude has her suspicions." Sean said, "And I know what your family is like."

"Excuse me?" Thea raised her eyebrows.

"I'll rephrase… I know what your dad is like." Sean said as Thea stared at him.

"I think you've had a little too much to drink." Thea said, "I know people can start saying silly things when they're drunk."

"Oh, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Sean nodded.

"Ok, maybe it's time for you to go home." Thea nodded, "Before you start saying things you don't really mean."

"She's suffering so much." Sean said, "I've never saw anything like this before in my life."

"Then we gotta be there for her." Thea nodded, "And help her through it."

"I don't even know if she can get through this." Sean said honestly, after seeing what he'd seen tonight.

"Then you don't know my sister." Thea nodded as Sean took his jacket from the chair.

"Maybe I don't." Sean said, putting his jacket on, walking past Thea and leaving the house as she sighed to herself.

She sat her jacket over on the chair, looking on at the champagne bottle, wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans before picking the empty bottle up to go throw in the trash very quickly.

"Hey, the little guy is down and I looked in on Jude, she's fast asleep." Dominic came back into the kitchen.

"Ok." Thea nodded, "Sean has just left. He was drunk and looking for an argument."

"Huh? Doesn't look like the arguing type." Dominic shook his head.

"Jude must have had a bad night." Thea sighed, "And none of us were here."

"We didn't plan to be gone for that long. We got caught up." Dominic said, "We're here now and we're here for her." He said as Thea nodded.

* * *

"Ok, what the hell is going on?" Punk said, walking through to their kitchen as AJ followed.

"Phil, that house might not even belong to Vincent anymore-"

"And if it does?" Punk questioned, "Was it him? Did he do this?" He questioned as AJ sighed.

"We don't know anything right now. We agreed to stay out of the investigation. Look what happened with Jeremy-"

"Yeah well as far as I'm concerned that little bastard deserved it after leaving Jude." Punk shook his head, "I feel no guilt."

"Let's face it, Phil. You'd probably have to murder someone to feel any sort of guilt." She shook her head.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Punk looked across at her.

"It means exactly how it sounds." AJ rolled her eyes.

"Why would it be that house?" Punk questioned, "Why would it be… him?" He shook his head.

"You don't know it's him. He might not live there anymore." AJ said as Punk leaned against the wall, running his hands over his face, "Ok, baby look at me." She walked over to him, tearing his hands from his face and taking them in hers, "Look at me." She told him.

"What?" Punk said.

"I know you want to do something. I do too. But the police will be working on this. They have more resources, a more steady mind than us probably right now." She said, "Our daughter needs us. The best thing we can do right now is be there for her." She nodded.

"Isn't this what I'm supposed to do?" Punk asked her.

"What? Act like a crazy man?" She smiled a little, cupping his cheeks as he sighed.

"I just want whoever did this to pay. She has to live with this." Punk shook his head as AJ nodded.

"I know." AJ said, "But she has her family, and whether she thinks that's enough or not, we'll always be there to help her." She said, "I don't know if Vincent has anything to do with this or not but… if he does the police will pick up on it." AJ said.

"I could call someone from that circle. I think I still have some numbers from back then-"

"That circle? The one that ruined your life and got you wound up in prison? If you call anyone from that circle, they will suck you back in and you know it." AJ said as Punk nodded, "The best thing we can do right now is stay out of it. Don't make it any worse for ourselves than it already is, and be there for Jude." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "It just… it worries me that it was that house." He shook his head, "It could be him."

"Why would he ever want to do something like that? I remember Vincent… he wasn't an evil guy." She shook her head.

"Well maybe that has changed over the years, we don't know." Punk said, "Or like you said, maybe it's not even his house anymore."

"Exactly." AJ said, "The fact is we don't know." She nodded, "Let's just… get some sleep and tomorrow we can go spend the day with Jude." She said, "She needs us more right now."

"Yeah." Punk agreed, "Yeah, ok." He smiled as she leaned up and kissed him sweetly. He needed the wisdom of his wife right now.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Jude questioned, watching as Sam walked into the living room where she was sitting. She couldn't sleep and had come downstairs for a change of scenery. Thea and Dominic were long gone to bed.

"I just came to see how you were doing." Sam nodded.

"At 4am?" Jude asked.

"I'm a night owl." Sam shrugged, sitting down beside her on the couch, "I'm not gonna ask how you are-"

"Good." Jude nodded, looking over at the TV.

"I know the feeling." Sam nodded as Jude turned to her.

"No you don't." Jude assured her.

"I do." Sam nodded as Jude looked at her, "I didn't have the best upbringing. I had your dad and Dean when I was a child. I was on my own and I struggled for money so… I guess I grew this reputation with men-"

"Yeah you were a prostitute. We know." Jude nodded bluntly as Sam looked at her.

"Ok, maybe in… official terms, I was." Sam nodded, "But there were times that I wasn't, but… that didn't matter to some guys. They did it anyway." She said as Jude looked at her, "Or I'd be blackout drunk and they took that as my consent." She said, "Yes, I was mostly aware of it, and I did it for the money, but that was in my control. I said when I said where I said who." She said, "And some guys took that control from me." She nodded.

"I didn't know that." Jude shook her head as Sam nodded.

"Not many people do." Sam said.

"Do you remember it?" Jude asked, sitting up a little and turning into Sam on the couch. It was the first time she'd really felt like someone could understand what she was feeling like.

"Yeah, some of it." Sam nodded, "I'm grateful for the ones I don't." She said.

"I don't know what's worse, knowing what happened to me or not." Jude shook her head, "And now there's pictures of it-"

"Pictures?" Sam shook her head.

"Yeah Karen came over earlier. The detective on the case. She said they'd searched the house that I'd came from and they found my underwear, and also pictures of me… whilst I was being attacked."

"My God…" Sam sighed.

"I'm going in to look at them tomorrow." Jude nodded as Sam turned to her.

"Do you really wanna see them?" Sam questioned.

"If it helps me understand what happened to me. Part of me still doesn't believe it but if I see it then maybe… maybe it'll sink in and then I can deal with it." Jude nodded quickly.

"Baby, I don't think you're ready to see something like that right now." Sam shook her head, "And I truly don't think seeing these pictures is gonna help you in anyway."

"I can't stand the not knowing." Jude said, "I just feel so empty. This person has took so much from me and I don't even remember it. It's just a feeling." She said as Sam nodded.

"I know." Sam nodded, "But if you see those pictures, you will not unsee them." She said as Jude looked at her.

"I know that, I'm not stupid." Jude said.

"Who does the house belong to? Did they say?" Sam asked.

"Some guy called Vincent Monroe. He's in his late forties." Jude nodded, "But he's apparently out of town so it might not even be him. Karen said they would be treating him as a suspect, though. They're trying to find him and get a hold of him. They're also finding people who may have access to his house."

"Sounds like they're really working around the clock." Sam said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, they are. And yet, I think my family are doing the same, separately." Jude said.

"What do you mean?" Sam questioned.

"Don't act like you don't know my dad and what he's like. He's the king of doing stupid things." Jude shook her head.

"He's also your father who loves you so much. He just wants to help." Sam nodded, "I think everyone just… doesn't really know what to say to you right now."

"Yeah, I can tell." Jude said, "I just want it all to go away._ I_ want to go away. Disappear." She nodded.

"Well you can't." Sam said firmly, "Instead you can be here and watch them take down the bastard who did this to you. He'll be locked forever and you can live your life knowing you'll never be as lonely and cold as whoever this person is-"

"I also have to live my life knowing what he did to me." Jude said as Sam nodded.

"I know." Sam sighed, "I know." She pulled Jude into her for a couch cuddle as Jude leaned into her, "I promise you, it won't feel like this forever." She whispered, playing with Jude's hair as she rested into her shoulder.


	74. Priority

**Priority**

* * *

"Hey." Thea nodded, letting her parents in the next morning.

"Morning." AJ smiled, "We brought coffees and muffins and donuts." She said, "I wanted to bring donuts but your dad said muffins and… we couldn't decide really-"

"Quite the dilemma." Thea nodded.

"How is she doing?" Punk asked.

"Well I made her oatmeal and she has been stirring it for about an hour now. She did shower this morning, though." Thea said as AJ nodded.

"Ok well if she wants to sit and stir her oatmeal all day then let her." AJ shook her head, walking on through to the kitchen as Punk looked at Thea.

"What?" Thea shook her head.

"Is she saying anything? Is she talking about it or… talking at all?" Punk asked.

"Not really. If she does talk it's to tell me off about something." Thea said, "But that's just Jude being Jude, I guess." Thea smiled as Punk nodded, hanging his jacket over the stairs, "I told Dominic just to go to work. No point in all of us hanging around."

"Yeah, of course." Punk understood.

"She said Sam came over last night. I must have been fast asleep cause I didn't hear." Thea said.

"What was Sam saying?" Punk asked.

"Jude never said. She just mentioned she came by to see her." Thea said as Punk nodded, walking through to the kitchen.

He walked in and saw Jude sitting at the kitchen table. Her hair was wet from her shower and she was in some clean sweats and one of Thea's hoodies. She looked very pale and tired, and she was indeed stirring her oatmeal around in the bowl.

"Babe, I brought some muffins and donuts if you'd rather that." AJ said, unpacking the muffins and donuts over by the counter. Her approach was to act as normal and calm as possible. She figured it might help Jude feel less alienated by everyone.

"It's 8am. I don't want a donut." Jude scoffed, "And Thea is trying to make me eat lumpy oatmeal which tastes bland because it's the one she's been giving to James." She shook her head.

"You see this abuse she's giving me." Thea said as AJ and Punk smiled.

"How about I make you your favourite? Pancakes and bacon?" Punk wondered as Jude looked up.

"Y-Yeah… yeah, ok." Jude nodded. It was the first time something basic sounded good to her. The past few days she hadn't been fussed about eating or doing much of anything, but starting her day off with a shower oddly made her feel a tiny bit better.

"Ok, then I need everyone to clear out of the kitchen." Punk said, "I need my space." He insisted.

"By all means." Jude nodded, standing up and leaving the kitchen.

Thea and AJ followed, leaving Punk in the kitchen to make breakfast.

"You know what I've realised?" Jude said, sitting down on the sofa in the corner, curling up with a blanket.

"What?" AJ asked, sitting down beside her whilst Thea picked up some of James' toys from the floor.

"Daytime TV is so so bad." Jude shook her head.

"Yeah I discovered that when I was on maternity leave." Thea said, "It sucks." She agreed.

"You look fresh. How are you sleeping?" AJ asked Jude who was flicking through the TV channels.

"I'm not." Jude said, "I'm not sleeping." She said as AJ sighed, placing her hand on Jude's arm softly, "Karen came around last night." She nodded. She knew she'd have to tell them at one point.

"How many pancakes am I doing?" Punk asked, coming into the living room.

"What did she say?" AJ asked Jude as Punk stood, looking over at Thea.

"Well she told me she had searched the house I came from that night." Jude said as Punk sat down on the arm of the chair, "It belongs to a man called Vincent Monroe." She nodded as Punk looked across at AJ who widened her eyes at him. The look she gave him was a 'don't open your mouth' look, so he obliged.

"Who the fuck is that?" Thea questioned.

"Never heard of the guy. He's in his late forties." Jude nodded, "But Karen asked around and his neighbours said he's been out of town for weeks visiting his mom so… they are treating him as suspect but they don't know for sure that it was him. They're finding out who else has access to the house as well as tracking Vincent down." She said.

"Did she show you a picture of him?" Thea asked.

"No, she didn't." Jude said, "But she found things in the house… my underwear." She nodded, "And pictures of me that were taken." She said. She wished she could have hired someone to tell her family all this information.

"Pictures of you?" AJ questioned.

"Whilst I was being attacked." Jude nodded as AJ sighed, looking down whilst Punk walked out of the room.

"Oh my God." Thea shook her head.

"I thought I wanted to see them but I realise I don't." Jude nodded, "Karen said they are locked in evidence and no one will ever see them. They're taking it pretty seriously actually." Jude knew for sure.

"Of course they are." AJ nodded, "They're gonna find the son of a bitch and he is going to prison for the rest of life." AJ said as Jude nodded.

"You should probably go make sure he isn't breaking things in there." Jude nodded to her mother as AJ sighed and nodded, kissing Jude's cheek and standing up, walking into the kitchen where Punk was standing.

"It's fucking him. It was him." Punk said.

"Shh." AJ said, closing the kitchen door over.

"The house still belongs to him which means he lives there." Punk spat, getting all the confirmation he needed.

"And why would he do something like this?" AJ questioned, "I'm sorry but I don't buy it." She said, "We knew Vincent. He wasn't like that. He was a good guy-"

"Well he's dead now-" Punk paused as he saw Jude walking into the kitchen slowly.

"You two know who this person is?" Jude questioned, standing at the door with Thea as AJ and Punk stood in silence, "Do you?!" She said louder.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Yeah, we knew him. I… I was arrested with him back when I went to prison the first time." He said, "He ran in the circle we were in-"

"Your drug circle?" Jude spat as Punk looked across at her, "So you two were buddies with the person who… who possibly did this to me?" She shook her head.

"We were nineteen then. I haven't seen him since then. Both of us haven't." Punk said.

"But there's a chance it might not be him, right?" AJ said, "I mean… Jeremy will go to the police and he'll be able to identify if it was Vincent that came up to you that night-"

"Jeremy?" Jude shook her head, "What does he have to do with this?" She questioned, looking at her family who suddenly had nothing to say, "Ok, what the hell is going on?" She shook her head.

"Ok… ok, sit down." AJ nodded.

"No, I'll stand." Jude said, backing away, leaning over by the fridge as she looked at the three of them, "Why are you bringing up Jeremy?"

"Ok well…" Thea began, "That night, Jeremy left with Kirsty to go home with him-"

"She told me." Jude nodded. She knew that much.

"Ok, well… he wound up going back to the bar you were at. To find Kirsty's purse or something." Thea explained, "He saw you coming out of the bar and you were… falling over the place, could barely walk." She said, "He came over and he helped you with your jacket and was gonna walk you home to his place, so you could crash there for the night."

"I don't remember any of this." Jude whispered to herself.

"When he was walking you down the street, a guy came over and said he would get you home safe, that he would bring you here." Thea said, "And apparently you… you recognised him." She said as Jude looked across at her, "And so… Jeremy left you with him." She nodded as Jude looked at the three of them.

"How do you know this?" Jude asked suspiciously, tears in her eyes but not pouring out.

"We… thought it was him who did it so we went and spoke to him." Thea said.

"Who the hell is we?" Jude spat.

"Me, dad and Dean." Thea said, "He's a little… beaten up but he's gonna go to the cops. This is good because then he can identify if it was this Vincent guy or not who… took you away that night." Thea said.

"What do you mean beaten up?" Jude questioned, looking directly at Punk.

"Why are you looking at me?" Punk questioned.

"Why do you think?" Jude spat.

"Jude, this isn't his fault." Thea defended, "I was the one who thought it was him. I put it in everyone's head." She said, "You remember when we had that fight over me asking Sean for an address?"

"Yes." Jude said.

"Well it wasn't for an old friend. It was for Jeremy. I thought he was creepy and I thought he was stalking you and… had a weird thing for you." Thea said, "So I thought it had to have been him who did this." She said as Jude looked down at the ground, "So we went to his house and… dad beat him up a little but we got the truth out from him eventually-"

"Who do you think you are?" Jude spat as AJ placed her hand over her forehead. She saw this coming.

"We're just trying to find out who did this." Punk said.

"You are not the police!" Jude yelled, "That is their job to find who did this and to put the pieces together. Not us." She said, "You will never learn." She looked at Punk, "Seriously… you have always been the same since I've been little." She said, "This bullshit do it yourself mentality drives me insane." She said, "None of you have anything to do with this. I don't need you lot setting up your own private investigation." She said angrily.

"Jude, I'm sorry." Punk nodded.

"We're just trying to help." Thea said.

"Then be there for me!" Jude yelled, "God, that's where you all were the other day? When the house was empty?" She realised.

"Your mom wasn't anywhere near it." Punk made clear.

"Yeah well that doesn't surprise me, dad. Since she has actual brain cells." Jude said as Punk nodded to himself, "And you." She looked at Thea, "You've always been a liar."

"Jude…" Thea shook her head.

"No, you have. I used to think it was just the drugs or the alcohol but… it's just you. You're just a liar." Jude nodded.

"We just want whoever did this to you to pay." Thea said.

"Then let the police find them." Jude spat, "Stop taking matters into your own hands. This happened to me. Me." She emphasised.

"We're sorry." Punk shook his head.

"Yeah well you were sorry when you went to prison for eight years too." Jude said, leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs as Punk sighed to himself, running his hands over his face.

"She'll come round." AJ assured them, "Just give her the space." She said as Punk sat down at the table, sighing to himself whilst Thea dried her tears. They were all just acting out of love for Jude. Doing what they all individually felt they needed to do.

* * *

"Ok, Mister Simons." Karen walked back into the investigation room where Jeremy was sitting after telling them everything that happened the night of Jude's attack, "I need you to possibly identify someone for me." She said, sitting back down at the table.

"Ok." Jeremy nodded. He had told the truth about everything that happened that night. His beating from Punk had scared him into it.

"Was this the man who approached you whilst you were walking with Jude?" Karen held up a picture, "The man who you let take a drugged, almost unconscious young girl from you without so much as a question?" She said bitterly as Jeremy gulped.

"No, that's not him." Jeremy confirmed as Karen was holding up a picture of Vincent, "No, he was younger. Older than Jude but not as old as that guy is." He nodded to the picture.

"Ok." Karen nodded.

"Jude kept mumbling that she knew him. She knew who he was. I swear that's the only reason I left her with him." Jeremy said, "I never thought anything bad was going to happen to her. I swear." Jeremy said as Karen looked at him and nodded.

"Ok." Karen said simply, "You're free to go Mister Simons." Karen said, "We will be in touch." She made clear.

"Am I in trouble?" Jeremy questioned.

"We'll be in touch." Karen repeated simply, "You're free to go." She nodded as Jeremy stood up and left the room.

She collected up the folders in front of her as one of the uniformed officers working with her came into the room, "How'd it go?" The man, Chris, asked.

"I don't think Vincent is our guy. Still… get him back in Chicago, I want to speak with him." Karen stood up from the table, "And I want his investigation moved up to high-profile priority." Karen nodded.

"Yes, boss." Chris nodded.


	75. Warrant For Arrest

**Warrant For Arrest**

* * *

"Hey." Dominic walked into the kitchen later that night where he saw Thea sitting at the table having a cigarette, "Thought we agreed none of that in the house." He said, taking the cigarette from her and putting it out on the ash tray as Thea rolled her eyes, "Is Jude still in the room?" He asked.

"No, she has gone to stay with Sean." Thea nodded, "Because she can't stand me anymore. And she won't go stay with my mom and dad because she looks like she wants to punch my dad in the face." She said.

"Ok… I go to work for one day and what do I miss?" Dominic asked as Thea sighed to herself, running her hands over her face and crying, "Hey." Dominic sighed, pulling a chair out beside her, "Hey, come here." He nodded, pulling her into him for a hug.

"I just did what I thought was right." Thea cried, drying her tears, pulling back from the hug as he looked at her.

"What happened? Why is she gone?" Dominic asked.

"We told her about… about Jeremy and what we did." Thea said as Dominic nodded, "And also, Karen had come to see her and told her the name of the guy whose house it belonged to, the house she came from that night… turns out my mom and dad know him from back in the day." She shook her head.

"Really?" Dominic shook his head.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "Jude just lost her head with me and my dad. And I know we deserve it, we shouldn't have took matters into our own hands but… it's only because we care-"

"I know that." Dominic nodded, "And Jude knows that deep down. She's just… she's going through so much right now and I think she just wants her family to be around her and there for her without all the… worry and the drama." He said, "And… she's always worried about your dad and how he acts. The way he never thinks before he does things. Even when I just started dating you, when she was like fifteen, I remember her constantly worrying about him and his bad impulses." He said.

"That's just how he is." Thea sighed, "And she knows that. He'd do anything for us. To keep us safe." She said as Dominic nodded.

"This is different now. It's more serious. We're talking about someone who… raped her. She needs us to be there for her more than she needs her family out beating people up." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"I know." Thea sighed, "I feel like now she just wants to do get away from us." She said, "Like we're making it worse for her."

"Just give her some space and she'll come around. You said it yourself, we can't imagine what she's going through. We just need to keep being there for her." Dominic nodded.

"Yeah." Thea sighed, "I guess it means that when Jeremy goes to the cops, he'll be able to identify if it's the guy whose house it belongs to… or if it was someone else just using the house." She said as Dominic nodded.

"They're getting closer." Dominic assured her as Thea nodded.

"Am I a bad sister?" Thea asked as Dominic shook his head immediately.

"No. How can you ask me that? You're the best sister." Dominic nodded, "This is just a difficult time right now for Jude." He said, hugging her tightly, "We all just feel a little hopeless."

* * *

"I just wish I had a normal family who… acted normal to things." Jude sighed, lying on the couch with Sean in his house.

"To be fair… I don't think anyone can act normal to something like this." Sean said, "Look, I'll be the first to say your family are insane. They are." He said, "But I also know they cared about you so much." He said as Jude sighed, "I mean I wished I had that many people in my life who… who would go to such crazy lengths to defend me and protect me." He said.

"You've not dealt with it all your life, though." Jude sighed.

"I know and I'm not condemning what they did. Hell, I'm a cop… I should be… I should be arresting them for it." Sean shook his head as Jude looked up at him, "But… I also can understand that they love you and they're hurting for you. Because I am too." He said as Jude sighed.

"That just makes me feel like a big burden to everyone." Jude said, "I don't wanna take the wind out of everyone's sails."

"You're not, but this has happened and the people who care about you are clearly upset. It's normal. Human reactions." Sean said.

"I'm just sick of my dad taking things into his own hands and being so confrontational all the time. He's been like that since I was little. I got bullied when I started school and I remember him having it out with one of the parents, right in the middle of the school yard, everyone was staring." Jude rolled her eyes, "This is a little bit different, I know, but you see my point."

"I think he's just a guy who loves his kids and his family. Would do anything for them." Sean said, "To make sure no one hurts them." He said, "So I can imagine that this happening to you is… one of his biggest nightmares. Probably worse than going to prison or worse than anything else he could have went through." Sean nodded.

He felt it was his duty to be neutral in the situation. To not encourage Jude to put down her family, but to also acknowledge that what her family did was definitely wrong.

"Ok, you can stop being the peacemaker right now." Jude nudged him as Sean smiled, kissing her head.

"Hey, you know I'm being honest with you." Sean said.

"Yeah, I know." Jude said, "I just want the police to do their job and my family to keep out of it." She said, "Surely right now I get to be the one who makes the call."

"You do." Sean agreed, "And believe me, Karen has everyone working round the clock on this. She's moved the investigation up to top priority."

"Well I appreciate that." Jude nodded, "I just really prefer the peace and quiet right now." She said as he nodded, caressing the back of her head as she lay up against him on the couch.

* * *

"Hey." AJ walked into her and Punk's bedroom where she saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, "You ok?" She asked. She knew better than anyone that sometimes his reckless behaviour was just because he cared. She knew he loved the girls so much that protecting them wasn't just something he could switch off and on, or restrain from. She understood how his brain worked.

"Yeah, I guess." Punk nodded, "I just… I hate that she's mad. Especially when she needs us." He shook his head.

"She's going through a lot right now." AJ nodded, "She called me earlier. She said that she just wanted to be on her own for a little while. Without all the noise and the drama." She said.

"That I'm causing?" Punk figured.

"She didn't say that." AJ shook her head, "Look I bet she just doesn't want you to get caught up in it. She doesn't want any of us involved. The cops will find who did this and they'll go to prison and that'll be it. They'll get their punishment and Jude will learn how to heal and move on the best she can." She said.

"Seems like a pretty basic punishment for something so evil." Punk shook his head, "Trust me, I've seen the way rapists are treated in prison. Same as everybody else." He said, "No difference." He said, "I'd give all of them the death penalty."

"Well you can't. And that's something you need to come to terms with on your own." AJ said, "Believe me, I know it's horrible, but it is what it is. You're only making this worse for yourself if you can't accept how this is gonna play out. In no alternative world are you gonna get away with skinning this person alive. I know you want to. I do too. But it's not happening."

"She's my little girl, April." Punk looked up at her.

"Yeah, I know. She's mine too." AJ assured him, "And my heart is so broken for her right now, and maybe… it always will be, but… you're right, she's our little girl and we need to be there for her." She nodded as Punk ran his hands over his hair.

"What if it was him?" Punk shook his head.

"Look… it's in the cops hands now. Vincent was… he was a good guy back then but who knows-"

"I'm not talking about Vincent." Punk said honestly as AJ looked at him, "Him." He nodded as AJ looked across at him, shaking her head.

* * *

"Ok, Mister Monroe." Karen walked into the interrogation room as Vincent sat, having been arrested out of town and brought in for questioning.

"What the hell is this all about?" Vincent spat. A middle aged man, rough around the edges.

"I'll be in charge of questions." Karen said, sitting down at the table.

"Are the handcuffs necessary? I ain't done shit." Vincent shook his head defensively.

"On Christmas Eve night a twenty-one year old girl was raped in your house, Mister Monroe." Karen said.

"What?" Vincent shook his head.

"She was drugged at a bar, brought to your house, attacked in your bedroom and woke up in the morning to an empty house." Karen explained.

"What the hell are you talking about? I… I wasn't even here at Christmas. I've been at my mom's house the entire month." Vincent said as Karen looked at him, "You've got the wrong guy, lady."

"Maybe but we don't have the wrong house." Karen assured him, "Who else has access to your house?" She asked.

"What? No one. I live alone." Vincent said, "Who the hell is the girl? Is this my ex? Trina? Because she's a fucking liar-"

"Her name is Jude Brooks." Karen said as Vincent paused, "I found out today that you were arrested with her father years ago, when you were nineteen. Phillip Brooks, is it?"

"His kid?" Vincent questioned as Karen nodded.

"You wanna explain the connection there?" Karen asked.

"There's no connection. I haven't saw Brooks since… since we were arrested. He went to Cook County and I ended up in Stateville." Vincent said, "Shit… he was a good guy." He shook his head, "I haven't saw him since then."

"Mister Monroe someone else must have access to your house." Karen said, "Keys of some sort. Unless you left town and left your doors open." She shook her head with attitude.

"Well I recently had a guy staying with me. He just got out of prison and I… I owed his old man a favour from back in the day." Vincent said, "But he was only there for a couple weeks and then left. And then like I said I was out of town all month."

"So there's a chance this guy got access to some sort of keys whilst he was staying with you? That's a possibility?" Karen asked.

"Uh… maybe, yeah I guess he could have." Vincent shook his head, not realising this was going to be so serious.

"And can you tell me this person's name please?" Karen nodded.

* * *

"Mister Simons." Karen emerged into a different interviewing room where Jeremy had been brought back in for questioning.

"I told you everything that happened, I swear." Jeremy said as Karen nodded.

"I know." Karen said, sitting down at the table, "Just a few questions I want to ask you." She said.

"Ok." Jeremy said. The woman made him very nervous. She was very intimidating.

"What did the man say to you exactly when he approached you and Jude that night?" Karen asked.

"Uh… he said hi to Jude and… long time no see or something like that." Jeremy said, "That's when Jude kept saying she knew him."

"And then what did he say?" Karen asked.

"He said don't worry I'll get her home… or no, he said he'd take her to her sister's house." Jeremy nodded, "Yeah, he said he'd take her to her sister's house." He said, "And I… I believed him." Jeremy shook his head as Karen nodded.

"Ok." Karen nodded, "Did he mention anything else? Anyone's name?"

"He said Thea's name. He said I'll take her to her sister's house. I'll take her to Thea's. Something like that." Jeremy summarised.

"Ok." Karen said, "I've got a picture, if you could tell me if this is the man who approached you and Jude that night." She said, turning around the printed picture she'd recently printed off after her conversation with Vincent, "Is this him?" She showed him as Jeremy stared at the picture.

"Y-Yeah." Jeremy gulped, "Yeah, that's him." Jeremy nodded, "That's definitely him." He knew for sure.

"Ok." Karen nodded, standing up right away, "You're free to go."

"Wait, do you think that's who attacked her?" Jeremy asked as Karen walked out of the room, ignoring him.

"Chris." Karen walked into her private office.

"Yes?" Chris looked up.

"I want a warrant for the arrest of Jackson Morgan. He was released from prison last month after doing time for possession of a loaded weapon and the assault on Jude's sister Thea." Karen said, "Get on it, now."

"Ok." Chris stood up immediately.


	76. Remember

**Remember**

* * *

"He's in prison." AJ shook her head, "Don't be ridiculous."

"Just because he's in prison doesn't mean he can't get to us somehow." Punk said, "Come on, isn't it weird how it's Vincent's house. The house I got arrested in all those years ago."

"I think it's just coincidence that it might be someone who also knows Vincent. It doesn't mean it has anything to do with Rio." AJ said.

"Come on, you know what kind of person he is." Punk said, "You think he would have gave up trying to make our life hell just because he went to prison?" He asked.

"Or this is just some evil person who did this, who just picked Jude out in a bar. There might not be any connection there at all." AJ said.

"Maybe I should go visit him in prison." Punk nodded to himself.

"No, Phil. Please just… stay away from that man. He is locked up for life. He is out of our life for good now." AJ reminded him as Punk sighed to himself.

He couldn't help think of the possibilities. If there was one person out there who wanted to hurt his family in such evil ways, it was obviously Rio. The safety blanket of prison had almost allowed them all to forget about him, but there was always the possibility.

"Or maybe I should tell the cops. Just say to them about Rio and our history with him. Maybe they could check his visitation list, see who has been talking to him-"

"Baby, I think they'll have it covered." AJ nodded, "If Rio has anything to do with this, the cops will pick up on it. They're gonna find whoever did this." She said as Punk nodded to himself.

He knew he had to accept that the cops were in control of this investigation and not him. It was just difficult, having grown up on the opposite side of the cops his entire life, to now trusting them to find who attacked his daughter.

"I mean if he can fake a death, he can pretty much do anything." Punk shook his head, "And he made his intentions very clear with what he wanted to do with all of us. Jude's life wouldn't mean a damn thing to him."

"I know but it's just… it's a little hard to believe with him being in prison that he could be behind all of this." AJ said.

"Is it? Or you just don't want to believe it?" Punk questioned.

"He's locked up twenty-three hours a day. How on earth could he have pulled this off? It's just… it's not realistic. Even for him." AJ shook her head, "There's a ton of evil people out there, Phil. Evil people who could do this." She said, "It might not be someone we even know." She said as Punk nodded to himself.

"Yeah, I know that." Punk sighed.

"I know the unknown is scary but we gotta be there for Jude. That's the most important thing right now." She said as Punk nodded.

* * *

"Hi, Jude. I'm sorry it's so late." Karen nodded, arriving at Sean's house as Jude let her in.

"That's ok. I'm awake anyway." Jude assured her, walking into the living room, "Have you found anything yet?" She asked.

"Yeah, we have actually." Karen nodded, sitting down at the couch, "Is Sean here?"

"He's in bed." Jude nodded.

"Would you like to call him down or are you ok on your own?" Karen asked.

"I'm… I'm fine." Jude said suspiciously, realising it was the most serious Karen had sounded since the investigation began, which gave her hope that they had found something, someone, but also fear that she may now know who attacked her. A lot of things were running through her head.

"Well we spoke to Vincent, the owner of the house. He insisted that he hasn't been here all month, he's been out of town, and we followed up that up with sources and spoke to his mom… he has been out of town all month." Karen nodded.

"So it… it can't be him?" Jude said.

"No." Karen said, "However when we spoke to him he told us that he was letting a man stay with him last month." She explained, "He'd just been released from prison. But after the month he was gone." She said as Jude nodded.

"Ok…" Jude said, following along.

"Does the name Jackson Morgan mean anything to you, Jude?" Karen asked as Jude raised her eyebrows.

"Jackson?" Jude questioned, "Y-Yeah, he's my sister's ex-boyfriend. He's in prison for beating her up basically." She said.

"Well he was released last month, and he was staying at the house you were attacked in." Karen said as Jude nodded slowly, trying to hold back from thinking where this was going.

"Ok." Jude nodded slowly.

"I brought Jeremy in and he identified Jackson as the man who… who took you away that night you were attacked." Karen nodded as Jude looked at her blankly, "We've got a warrant for his arrest and a full team out looking for him right now." She said as Jude looked at her blankly.

It really wasn't sinking in, she couldn't believe it.

"He's in prison, though." Jude shook her head, not really listening to much of the information.

"He was released last month." Karen said as Jude stared at her blankly, "Jude, I believe this is the man who raped you." She said as Jude raised her eyebrows in disbelief, suddenly not knowing how to talk, or even so much as think.

"It's sometimes common for those who have been drugged and raped, once they see a picture of their attacker it… it sometimes brings it back, jogs the memory a little. You might not remember any of it but his face could trigger something." Karen explained as Jude just stared across at her, "Can I show you a picture of him?" She asked as Jude nodded.

Karen took a picture out of her back pocket, a recent one of Jackson from prison, extending it over to Jude who took it from her, looking at the picture and gulping.

"_W-What's going on?" Jude slurred, standing at the bottom of a staircase, holding onto the wall to steady herself. Sometimes she was blacking out, other times she just couldn't stand or speak right at all. She didn't know what was going on and she wasn't aware of the minutes going by._

"_You're fine." Jackson shook his head, locking the door behind him and putting the keys in his pocket, watching as Jude fell over at the bottom of the stairs, "Ok, up you get it" He nodded, picking her back up as Jude's weight fell onto him._

"_That's… Thea's… I don't know." Jude mumbled to herself, not making any sense of anything._

"_Yeah, ok." Jackson nodded, humouring her, dragging her up the stairs, pausing halfway to get a better grip of her as he did so, reaching the top of the stairs and pulling her into the bedroom. _

"_Ok. Here." Jude stumbled over to the bed as Jackson chuckled._

"_Maybe I didn't even need to drug you." Jackson chuckled, shutting the bedroom door over close as he looked over at Jude steadying herself at the bed, both her hands on the mattress as she tried to stay still._

"_Need a call. Where… my phone?" Jude questioned._

"_You're not getting your phone." Jackson said, picking her up and laying her on the bed as he leaned over her, pinning her arms down as she groaned with discomfort._

"_N-No…" Jude tried to move but she really couldn't. She felt like her body and mind were paralysed. _

"_It was either you or your big sister." Jackson spat, "It was a no brainer. I've already had your sister many times." He smirked._

"Oh my God…" Jude stood up, backing away, stumbling over the couch a little as Karen raised her eyebrows, "Oh my God, I… I remember him on… on top of me…" She gasped, feeling like she couldn't breathe suddenly. The not knowing definitely better than the knowing.

"Ok, Jude look at me." Karen stood up, "Just take deep breaths." Karen nodded, "Nice and slow. You're safe here." She nodded.

"I can… I can see his face." Jude said breathlessly. Suddenly, once hearing his name and seeing his picture, she could see flashes of the night. She could feel him on top of her, his voice in her ear, his hands grabbing on her skin… it wasn't a full memory but it was flashes, flashes of him.

"We will find him and we will arrest him, Jude." Karen nodded, "I promise you." She said, walking closer and taking Jude's hand, "Finding out it was him was the biggest battle. Now we can get him and lock him up." She promised as Jude continued to breathe heavily, feeling like the walls were closing in on her.

"W-Why?" Jude shook her head, "Why would he… what did I do…" She shook her head.

"You didn't do anything. You did nothing wrong." Karen made clear, "You leave the why up to us. We'll find out, we'll get to the bottom of it. But there is no excuse in the world to justify what he has done to you. No excuse or reason." She said as Jude shook her head with confusion.

It wasn't a feeling she could ever explain to anyone. She preferred not knowing what happened to her, of course she did. Because now she just kept seeing his face, she could feel him on top of her.

"I think I'm… I'm gonna throw up." Jude said, stumbling out of the living room as Karen listened to her throwing up in the kitchen.

She made her way through, rubbing Jude's back as she doubled over the sink.

"It's alright, I'm here." Karen nodded, rubbing her back softly, "Jude, can I call anyone for you?" She asked, watching as Jude cried as she threw up.

"My mom." Jude cried, "And dad."

* * *

"I'm not even hungry." Thea shook her head, sitting at the kitchen table as Dominic put his jacket on.

"I'll get a smaller pizza." Dominic said, "You gotta eat something." He said, leaning down and kissing her head.

"You know what I'd love?" Thea asked.

"What?" Dominic questioned, picking up his car keys.

"A drink." Thea nodded as Dominic scoffed.

"Not gonna happen." Dominic said, "Extra cheese on the pizza?"

"Yeah." Thea huffed.

"Ok, I won't be long." Dominic nodded, leaving the kitchen and heading out of the house as Thea sighed to herself tiredly.

She stood up and took one of the cigarettes from the box at the kitchen door, lighting one up and standing at the opened kitchen door. She needed something to focus her stress and anxiety onto.

She stood at the door for a while having the cigarette, putting it out as she heard James crying upstairs. She left the kitchen, leaving the back door opened without a thought and heading upstairs to check on her son.

"Oh, what is it, baby?" Thea said, walking into James' nursery, looking over the crib as he lay, disturbed by a nightmare or noise in his room perhaps, "Mommy's here." She smiled, stroking his cheek softly as he immediately calmed down.

Knowing how much she meant to this little guy, the way he calmed at the sight and touch of her. It was the best feeling in the world.

"Close your little eyes." Thea whispered, watching as James fell back asleep right away, smiling to herself as she left his nursery and walked back downstairs.

She made her way back into the kitchen, jumping out of her skin, letting out a scream as she saw who was standing there.

"Hey, Thea." Jackson smiled, "How you doing?"


	77. Reunion

**Reunion**

* * *

"W-What… what are you doing here?" Thea gasped, looking like she had seen a ghost. Feeling like she had seen a ghost, "Stay back." She warned, staying close to the kitchen door as Jackson stood in the middle of the kitchen.

"I'm not long out of prison." Jackson nodded, "Good behaviour."

"Oh, really?" Thea shook her head. The last time she saw him was when Rio had taken her mother and Cassie. She'd gone to him, to question him about it a few months ago. Apart from that, she'd had no connection with him in years.

"Nice house." Jackson smiled, "I gotta say, I never thought you'd do it."

"Do what?" Thea spat.

"The stay at home mom thing." Jackson said.

"I'm not. I have a job. I've just been off because your father put a bullet in me." Thea spat.

"Yeah, I heard all about that. We were in prison together for a little while you see." Jackson explained.

"Oh, how fun. At least he didn't have the chance to abandon you there." Thea said.

"Yeah actually it was fun." Jackson nodded, "He got to tell me all about your parents and I got to tell him all about you and your sisters." He said, "We share the same views on a lot of stuff, actually."

"You knew he was alive all this time." Thea said, "Here I was thinking you just lost your mind a little but… you knew all along." She shook her head, "I trusted you and you were just playing in me."

"Well it wasn't hard. You're pretty gullible." Jackson nodded.

"Oh, really?" Thea nodded to herself.

"Yeah. Really." Jackson said, "So… you got married?"

"Yeah, I did." Thea nodded, "To someone who actually cares about me and loves me."

"What happens when it all goes south and your back on cocaine and he's drinking himself to death?" Jackson asked, "Because let's face it, it will happen at one point." Jackson chuckled to himself, picking an apple up from the fruit basket and eating it as Thea glared at him.

"Why have you came here?" Thea spat, "Just leave me alone. Leave my family alone. You have a chance to go somewhere and have a fresh start, as much as you don't deserve it, you do. So why can't you just go?" Thea shook her head.

She was surprised that no one had notified them about Jackson being released from prison. She also wondered if she was in danger right now.

"I don't want a fresh start." Jackson shrugged, "What do I need a fresh start from?" He asked, eating the apple, walking around to the fridge and looking at some of the pictures stuck on it, "So this is your son?" He asked, taking a picture of James from the fridge as Thea walked over to him and snatched the picture from him.

"You need to get out of my house." Thea spat.

"He's cute. Looks like you." Jackson smiled, "Is he in the house right now? I'd love to meet him-"

"Get out of my house." Thea glared up at him as he smiled.

"I gotta give it to you, Thea. You're no coward." Jackson nodded, wandering back over to the kitchen table as Thea moved around the kitchen, keeping her distance.

"What do you want? Are you here to hurt me? Is that it? Your dad couldn't finish the job off so he's sent you to do it? Is that it?" Thea nodded.

"Yeah, something like that." Jackson nodded.

"So you two were just… in prison talking about my family and how to destroy it? Is that how sad and pathetic you both are?" Thea spat.

"Your mom and dad crossed my dad. He never got to punish them for it." Jackson said.

"Punish them for what? Wanting a better life? Knowing how dangerous your dad was? I think they deserve a reward for that." Thea hissed, "What do you want? Why are you here?" She shook her head.

"Maybe I will disappear. I think you're right. A fresh start sounds kinda good." He nodded to himself as Thea watched him, "I like the idea of leaving this place knowing that you and your family are falling apart, watching Jude suffer."

"What?" Thea looked across at him.

"Oh, she didn't tell you about the fun night we had?" Jackson smiled as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"W-What?" Thea stared at him.

"She was much better than you ever were, believe me." Jackson nodded.

"What the hell did you do?!" Thea yelled as Jackson smiled.

"Tied her hands up… not because she was moving, just because I could." Jackson nodded as Thea shook her head. She couldn't believe this, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Never did she think this would be who attacked Jude. She had no idea he was even out of prison. And yet, knowing he had spent some time locked up with his father, something evil as this had to have followed.

"You shut your mouth." Thea shook her head, "W-What are you talking about?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"I think she secretly enjoyed it." Jackson scoffed as Thea stared at him, no longer in the right frame of mind as she realised what was going on here, what had happened, "Got some good shots of her too. I bet she'd make a ton of money from them." He said as Thea slowly reached behind her, opening up the cutlery drawer unnoticed to Jackson.

"They're gonna find you." Thea said calmly.

"No… they're not." Jackson shook his head, "Cause I'm gonna disappear." He nodded, walking closer to her, "And your sister, poor little Jude, she's gonna have to live her life knowing I'm still out there and… I could come back any time." He smiled, "You all get to live with that fear now." He said as Thea reached for a knife in the drawer behind her, "Hell maybe when I come back, it might be Cassie's turn…"

* * *

"It's ok, baby. It's ok." AJ sighed, sitting on the couch with Jude who was crying. She and Punk had come straight over once they'd got a call from Karen. Sean had also woken up and was around to comfort Jude.

Karen had explained to AJ and Punk her findings and the warrant for the arrest of Jackson being out. They were both still in shock, confused and panicked.

"Babe, he can't hurt you. Ok?" Punk crouched down by the couch as Jude was leaning into AJ, "He's not gonna come near you ever again." He made clear as Jude cried.

As soon as she had saw the picture of Jackson and thought about the possibility of it being him, it was like a trigger for her brain, and she remembered the night in flashes. She felt like he was constantly on top of her, and she could feel him grabbing on her skin. She wished she could have went back to not knowing anything, because this, this was the real torture.

"You're safe here." AJ said softly, trying hard to keep it together. Jude needed them to be strong right now, so she could fall apart for a little while.

As soon as Jude realised who her attacker was, she didn't want Sean, she didn't want to be alone or to lock herself in her room. She wanted her parents.

"You heard what Karen said, they'll find him and arrest him." Punk nodded, rubbing her arm softly. But there was no amount of assurance they could give her to make this go away. All they could do was hug her and be there for her as it sunk in for her. As it sunk in for them too.

"Phil, go get some tissues and a glass of water." AJ nodded to Punk.

"Ok." Punk nodded, standing up and leaving the living room, walking into the kitchen where Sean was.

"Do you know him?" Sean questioned as Punk walked into the kitchen.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, he was Thea's boyfriend years ago. He's Rio's son. You're a cop so you must know who Rio is." Punk said.

"Yeah." Sean nodded to himself.

"This has him written all over it." Punk nodded.

"Rio?" Sean questioned as Punk nodded.

"I should have seen the writing on the wall." Punk shook his head, "Why didn't I see it?"

"It's safe to say our heads have been a little far up our ass right now." Sean nodded, "You just can't think about anything when she's hurting like that." Sean shook his head, hearing Jude crying from in the living room as Punk ran his hands over his face.

"I want him dead." Punk shook his head. His mind was all over the place with this information, knowing it was Jackson who had done this to Jude, but he knew one thing for sure, he wanted him to pay.

"You and me both." Sean said.

"I uh… I came in here for tissues and water." Punk remembered as Sean handed him the box of tissues and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, "Thanks." Punk nodded.

It was all very terrifying that the source of all this pain they were all feeling, all this hopelessness and distress, and all the torture Jude was going through, was down to Rio and Jackson. The way it always seemed to be. It was almost suffocating that they had struck again, and it was frustrating that he had been too late to do anything about it.

Punk walked back into the living room with tissues and water, "Here you go." Punk said, crouching down in front of the couch again, handing the box of tissues over as AJ took some to dry Jude's face.

"He's out there." Jude cried as Punk nodded, looking over at AJ who was also crying, no longer being able to hold it back. She could feel the pain her daughter was in and it was torture.

"They're gonna find him." Punk nodded softly.

"What if he's not done?" Jude questioned as Punk looked at her, turning to AJ.

"Phil." AJ said worriedly, "Thea." She shook her head.

Knowing who was behind this, it was hard to forget about what Rio's initial plans were, what he had intended to do. They knew him well enough to know that Thea surviving his bullet would have just made him angry, and given the history Jackson had with Thea, it was hard not to think she wasn't in danger.

* * *

"T!" Dominic called, walking back home with a pizza, "T, Luca's was closed so I had to go all the way to Connie's." He said, taking his jacket off and hanging it at the bottom of the stairs.

"Thea." Dominic said, sticking his head in the living room which was empty, "I bet once you smell this you'll be hungry." He said, walking through to the kitchen, pausing immediately as he saw Thea standing still, her hands shaking with blood over them whilst Jackson lay on the floor, stab wound in his chest, lifeless.

"Thea." Dominic sat the pizza down, "Oh my God." Dominic shook his head in shock as Thea stayed still, having not moved since she stabbed Jackson, her hands shaking.

Dominic stepped over Jackson, looking on at him and gulping as he turned to Thea, "What did you do?" Dominic cupped her face desperately as Thea looked at him, "What the hell did you do?

"He raped Jude." Thea whispered in a daze as Dominic looked at her, feeling her put her bloody hands over his on her cheeks.

"W-What?" Dominic shook his head in shock, too much going on for his brain to process as he looked down at Jackson on the floor, bleeding out.

* * *

**A/N: More to come! Thanks for the reviews and support.**


	78. Take The Fall

**Take The Fall**

* * *

"Thea!" Punk burst through the door to Thea's house, having ran all the way there, "Thea!" He called, running through the house, looking in the living room, moving onto the kitchen, pausing at the door when he saw Jackson on the floor, looking up and over at Thea who was standing, blood on her cheeks and hands whilst Dominic stood beside her.

"W-What happened?" Punk shook his head, looking on at Jackson who had a stab wound, sitting in a pile of his own blood, "Are you two ok?" He made sure as Dominic nodded, meanwhile Thea just stood in silence, "Thea." Punk said.

"She's fine." Dominic said.

Punk looked down at Jackson, crouching down and placing his fingers by his neck, realising there was no pulse at all. And yet… he felt nothing. Nothing at all.

This wasn't the sight he thought he was going to walk into. He'd prepared himself for the dangers he was coming up against, but this was not what he expected.

"W-What happened?" Punk looked up at Thea and Dominic who weren't saying anything, "Somebody start talking!" Punk said worriedly.

"I…" Thea gulped, "He was…"

"I did it." Dominic nodded as Thea turned to him, "I came back home and he was… he was trying to hurt her. I did it." Dominic said as Thea looked at him, shaking her head.

"No." Thea shook her head, "No…"

"She's got blood all over her hands." Punk shook his head with confusion.

"I did it." Dominic nodded as Punk looked across at them both.

"He… he did it." Thea whispered, "He attacked Jude." She nodded, "He told me."

"I know. The cops know. They're trying to find him to arrest him." Punk said, "Jude knows it was him. I figured if he was still out there he might end up coming here… obviously." He looked down at Jackson on the ground.

"It was him." Thea repeated with shaking hands, "He did it."

"Ok, Thea I need you to pull yourself together." Punk nodded, "He is dead. There is a dead person in your kitchen floor." He made clear to both of them.

"B-But he hurt Jude…" Thea said as Punk nodded, walking over to her.

"I know he did. I know." Punk nodded, "But he is dead in your kitchen right now." He made clear as she looked up at him.

"What do we do?" Dominic asked as Thea looked over at Jackson, her hands still shaking. It wasn't in her nature to hurt anyone, let alone kill someone. But this was just different. Knowing what he had done to her sister, it was like another person jumped out of her.

"You gotta… you gotta call the cops." Punk said.

"What?" Dominic shook his head, "Are you insane?"

"What else are you gonna do? This is fucking serious right now. He is dead." Punk pointed.

"They'll arrest me." Dominic said as Punk looked at him, turning to Thea who was shaking. He was no idiot. He knew his daughter. He knew this wasn't Dominic who had done this, but he chose not to say anything.

"It was self-defence." Punk said, trying to stay calm, "He's a wanted man and he was… he was trespassing, he was hurting Thea, it was… self-defence."

"With a knife?" Dominic spat.

"Yes, trust me… it'll be fine." Punk said, "It's the only option we have right now."

"They'll put me in jail." Dominic said.

"This is different." Punk said.

"He's dead!" Dominic yelled as Punk looked over at Thea, looking back to Dominic who just shook his head desperately, "She's not going anywhere." Dominic whispered as Punk nodded.

"We have no other option." Punk made clear, "Thea… wash your hands." He said, walking over to her, turning the sink on, guiding her hands over to the water as he helped her wash them, "Wipe the knife." Punk told Dominic quietly as he nodded.

Thea watched as the blood ran off her hands, feeling her dad wipe her face too where some blood was, "I… I did that." Thea told him.

"It's gonna be ok." Punk assured her, "You're gonna be fine." He nodded, drying her hands for her, "Dominic, call the police." He said as Dominic looked at him.

"W-What? I… I don't wanna get into trouble." Thea shook her head.

"You're not." Punk said, "Look at me." He said sternly as she looked at him, "Dominic did this. If anyone asks, he did this, ok?"

"W-What?" Thea shook her head.

"You were here on your own, Jackson came in and tried to hurt you, Dominic got home in time and helped you." Punk said as Thea looked over to Dominic who nodded.

In such a chaotic rush, Punk and Dominic had agreed without even having to say much, that protecting Thea was the main priority in all of this.

"It's gonna be fine." Dominic nodded to Thea, "I… I'll get arrested and I'll get back out. Ok? It's self-defence." He assured her as Thea shook her head.

"Just go phone." Punk told Dominic who nodded, walking out of the kitchen to call the police.

"He attacked Jude. It was him." Thea told him again as Punk nodded.

"I know he did." Punk nodded, "Here, have a seat." He said, pulling out one of the kitchen chairs, walking her over and helping her sit down, "It's gonna be fine. They're gonna take Dominic away and just ask him some things about what happened." He said as Thea just looked at him blankly.

Punk walked over to Jackson who was on the kitchen floor, crouching down beside him and staring at his face. He couldn't help think death was too kind for him, but less evil people like him in the world was always a positive.

"You get what you deserve." Punk whispered.

* * *

It didn't take long for the police to get there after Dominic called them. Karen emerged first into the house, followed by a few uniformed police officers coming in behind her.

She checked for Jackson's pulse, putting on some gloves and putting her fingers against his neck, coming to the conclusion that he was in fact dead.

"Secure the house and the area." Karen nodded to the cops who had come with her, "You three come into the next room." She said, walking into the living room as Dominic, Punk and Thea headed into the living room.

"What happened?" Karen asked.

"I got home from getting a pizza." Dominic said, speaking first, "I came home and I saw him in the kitchen, he had his hands on Thea and… I don't know what he was trying to do so I… grabbed a knife and stabbed him" He said Karen turned to Thea, noticing how shook up she was.

"Are you ok?" Karen asked Thea, "Did he hurt you?" She asked as Thea shook her head.

"N-No." Thea shook her head, "I… I came downstairs from checking on James and he was in the kitchen. He was telling me about… about getting out of prison and that he spent time in there with his dad." She said, "And then he told me he raped Jude." She said, placing her hand over her mouth. It still wasn't sinking in, "And then he… he put his hands on me and that's when Dominic came in." She added to the story like her father and husband told her.

"Ok." Karen nodded slowly, "He mentioned his dad?"

"Yeah." Thea nodded.

"Ok, I'm gonna run a check to see who has been visiting his dad in prison, to make sure we're not looking over our shoulders for something else." Karen said as Punk nodded, "You need to come down to the station with me." She told Dominic as Thea sighed.

"Can't he just stay here?" Thea begged, "He was just helping me."

"No, he has to come with me." Karen said, taking out her handcuffs.

"N-No… what are they for?" Thea questioned, "He didn't do anything wrong."

"There is a man dead in your kitchen, Thea." Karen said as Dominic turned around, letting her put handcuffs around his wrists.

"It's alright." Dominic nodded to Thea who he could see was upset.

"N-No please." Thea grabbed a hold of Karen as Punk pulled her back, "Please, he raped Jude. Jackson did it." Thea cried.

"I know." Karen nodded, "I know he did." She said, "Dominic still has to come with us." She said, trying not to make it a big deal, "And you both need to leave this house, it's an official crime scene now." She said.

"Please can't he just stay with me for now?" Thea asked, following Karen out of the living room as she lead Dominic out.

"Thea, please stay back." Karen nodded.

"No." Thea cried, "Please… he didn't do anything wrong." She said, watching as Karen took Dominic down the steps and into one of the cop cars, placing her hand over her mouth and sobbing. She'd saw this sight one too many times in her life, and she knew what followed was never good.

"It's gonna be ok." Punk sighed, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she cried into him, "They just wanna ask him some questions." He nodded, caressing the back of her head as she cried into him.

"He didn't do anything wrong." Thea sobbed.

"I know." Punk sighed as Thea looked up at him.

"I… I did it." Thea said, "I killed him." She gulped, "It wasn't Dominic."

"I know." Punk nodded.

"It wasn't self-defence." She whispered as he looked down at her, "He never touched me." She made clear. It was the truth. He never laid a finger on her. She made her move on him when he was mid-sentence, close enough for her to strike.

"If anyone asks you what happened, Dominic did it." Punk said, "And he was defending you." He made clear as Thea looked at him, "We need to get James and get out of this house." He said.

* * *

"When she wakes up just call me." AJ nodded, leaving Sean's house after Jude had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Is Phil picking up his phone?" Sean asked.

"No. I'm gonna go to Thea's right now." AJ said, "I'm worried." She admitted as Sean nodded.

"I'll stay here with Jude. I'm not gonna leave her side." Sean assured her AJ nodded.

"When she wakes up please call me." AJ said, "She can't be alone right now."

"I know." Sean nodded, "I will. Call me to let me know Thea's ok. Jude will wanna know when she wakes up."

"Of course." AJ nodded, "I've never been so terrified before." She shook her head.

"We just gotta make sure everyone is safe. The cops will find Jackson. They'll take him down." Sean said as AJ nodded.

"I still… I still can't believe it's him. I should have listened to Phil." AJ shook her head, "He brought it up… he brought Rio up." She said.

"You couldn't have known who it was. That's the horror of it all." Sean said as AJ nodded.

"I better go. The quicker I get there, the quicker I know they're all ok. Cassie is with Dean and Renee. I know she's safe." She said, "I just got a bad feeling in my stomach."

"Go, go make sure they're ok." Sean nodded, "And call me."

"I will." AJ said, leaving the house and walking down the street.

Her heart was thumping, a terrible feeling in her gut with all the chaos immersing around them, feeling like they were under attack again like they had been many times before. It was a feeling of dread, anger and exhaustion.

She continued walking down the street, passing a narrow side street and feeling someone grab on her hand, yanking her down the narrow street and covering her mouth as she kicked her legs in the air, biting the person's hands and trying to get free, but they continued to pull her down the narrow lane into darkness.


	79. It's Not Over

**It's Not Over**

* * *

"Mendez, calm down! It's me!" Vincent turned AJ around, pinning her against the wall, "I'm not gonna hurt you." He let go of her as AJ punched him across the face, watching him double over, holding his nose.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" AJ yelled.

"Shh." Vincent stood back up, "I'm not gonna hurt you." He made clear, holding his hand up whilst his other hand held his nose, "Jesus Christ, I think you've burst my nose open." He groaned, "Here I was thinking you'd changed." He smiled a little.

"Why are you… pulling me down side alleys like that?!" AJ spat, "And what the hell do you have to do with all of this? Why are you in the mix? Are you hiding something from the cops? Because I'll find out-"

"No, look… I didn't know anything about your daughter getting attacked. I got a letter from Rio about two months ago, just after he'd gone to prison, asking for me to come see him." He said as AJ nodded.

"And?" AJ said.

"Well I went. I was curious." Vincent said, "Showed up at prison and he told me his son was getting released in a couple weeks and he'd appreciate it if I put him up until he found a place." He said, "Said that I owed him one from back in the day, when I borrowed some money from him… which I know I did." He said, "So I agreed to let his son stay with me for a little while."

"Ok." AJ said, "Where is this going?"

"He said he was coming for you." Vincent said.

"Who?" AJ questioned.

"Rio." Vincent said, "Look, I think he thinks I'm on side. That he can trust me." He said.

"Vincent, he's in prison. He isn't coming for me." AJ shook her head.

"He's got people still working for him and running his business." Vincent said, "Look, I never thought anything of it. I put his son up in my house and then he left. I went to my mom's for Christmas and didn't think anything would happen and then I got pulled back by the cops to find out all of this is going on." Vincent said.

"Who is coming for me?" AJ asked.

"I think the people who work for him. He said this all started with you and it's gonna end with you." Vincent said as AJ looked at him.

"When was this?" AJ asked.

"About two months ago." Vincent said, "You and I both know how dangerous he can be, even when he's not around." He said, "All I'm saying is… be careful, and if you need any help… I still run with some of the boys from back in the day."

"No thank you." AJ laughed to herself.

"No, I'm serious. We're all good now. We moved on." Vincent nodded, "Learned our lessons." He said as AJ looked at him, "Like you and Phil."

"Why do you want to help me? I got you put in prison just like I did Phil." AJ said, "You should hate me."

"Going to prison turned my life around, actually." Vincent assured her, "I don't hate you. I'm grateful you did what you did." He said as AJ raised her eyebrows, "And I'm worried you and your family are in danger."

"Do you know anything about who is working for Rio? We had a run in with him and some of his guys months ago but… I never got any information."

"They're south side based, I know that." Vincent nodded, "But I can find out more for you." He said, "You can't be walking around on your own-"

"Oh, well clearly. You nearly pulled my arm out of the socket." AJ complained.

"Sorry." Vincent said, "I didn't want anyone to see." He said.

"What's your big plan? How do I know when these people are coming?" AJ asked, "Is it just one big waiting game?"

"Pretty much." Vincent said, "But we gotta make sure when they come, there's more of us-"

"Us? Who the hell is us?" AJ shook her head.

* * *

"Look, he was just defending Thea. He had to do something." Punk said, standing in the police station with Karen, "You gotta let him go."

"Just calm down." Karen nodded, "I just want to ask Dominic some questions, then I'm gonna want to talk to Thea too. Did you hear me arrest him for anything?" She questioned as Punk looked at her.

"Look… I know there are a ton of you in there who wanna see me or my family get arrested for something. It's like a fun game for you all." Punk said, "But Dominic doesn't deserve this. He was defending Thea, I mean he was defending Jude too… and any other girls who could end up being in danger of that prick-"

"Mister Brooks." Karen said sternly as Punk looked at her, "We are not your enemy." She made clear as Punk looked at her, "Let me do my job." She said as Punk looked at her, "I'll be questioning Dominic right now-"

"And what about Rio?" Punk asked.

"I have two police officers on their way to cook county jail right now." Karen said, "Right now you have to get Thea out of here. I could be a while with Dominic and I don't want her out here waiting with her son." She said, looking over at Thea who was sitting in the waiting area with James in her arms.

"Ok." Punk understood, "Ok." He said calmly.

"We're on your side, Mister Brooks." Karen assured him, "I'll be in touch over the next twenty four hours." She said, walking away into the back of the station as Punk sighed to himself, placing his hands on his hips as he watched Hamilton appear through some swing doors.

"Hey, you." Punk called on him as Hamilton looked over and rolled his eyes, walking over to him.

"What do you want?" Hamilton asked.

"I want you to make sure Dominic goes free." Punk said.

"Who?" Hamilton shook his head.

"My son-in-law. Go do your homework on it, go read about the hell my family are going through right now and then remember the times you spat on me and yelled to my wife and three year old daughter to go back to where they came from whilst they walked down the street." Punk said as Hamilton looked at him, "Dominic goes free." He said as Hamilton nodded slowly.

"I'll go see what's going on." Hamilton backed away slowly as Punk nodded, turning around and looking over at Thea who was sitting holding James, rocking him back and forth as she sat with dried in tears.

He walked over to her as she immediately stood up.

"Is he done? Are they letting him go?" Thea asked.

"They're gonna be talking to him for a little while. Karen is just asking some questions." Punk said, "But… he should be free to go once they're done." He said as Thea sighed, "I'm gonna take you to Sam's."

"No, I'm gonna wait here." Thea shook her head, sitting back down on the chair as Punk crouched down in front of her.

"This little guy needs a place to crash." Punk nodded to her.

"You can take him to Sam's then and I'll wait here on Dominic." Thea nodded.

"No." Punk shook his head, "One, I don't trust Sam with a child, and two… you can't sit here all night." He said, "I'm taking you to Sam's."

"What if they don't let him go? What if they arrest him?" Thea asked.

"They won't." Punk said, "Take a deep breath and pull yourself together." Punk said as Thea looked at him, "We're going to Sam's." He nodded.

* * *

Punk managed to get Thea out of the police station with James and drove her to his mother's house, grateful that she was actually home and sober.

"Keep an eye on her." Punk told Sam.

"What the hell happened? Are you gonna tell me?" Sam asked him.

"Dominic killed Jackson." Punk said. They were sticking to that story. All three of them had decided.

"Excuse me?" Sam shook her head, "What? Elaborate, please."

"Jackson got out of prison about a month ago. He's the one who attacked Jude." Punk said, "He came to Thea's house, cornered her, Dominic killed him." He said.

"I swear I only took a five hour nap." Sam shook her head with confusion.

"Yeah well things happen fast." Punk nodded.

"So they've arrested Dominic?" Sam asked.

"Not quite. They've got him in for questioning. But it.. it was self-defence." Punk said, "They've gotta let him go. Plus, are we all that upset about one less rapist in the world?" He shook his head.

"Well…" Sam nodded in agreement, "Where is Jude? Is she ok? Does she know it was Jackson?"

"She knows." Punk nodded, "She's with Sean and April at Sean's place. Cassie is with Dean and Renee." He said, "They got cops going to cook county to speak to Rio and see who has been paying him visits." He said.

"I swear that man has gotta get what is coming to him at some point." Sam sighed, "He's ruined so many lives. Including his own damn son's. Turned him into a mini me psychopath." She shook her head.

"Yeah well he's dead now." Punk said as Sam nodded slowly, "She's shaken up big time in there so keep your eye on her and… if you got any booze lying around, use your brain and put it away." He nodded.

"Where are you going now?" Sam questioned.

"To go see how Jude is." Punk said as Sam nodded.

"Ok, well… she's safe here." Sam assured him as Punk nodded slowly. Deep down, he knew he could trust his mother in a crisis, even if they had virtually no relationship what so ever.

"Yeah, well… call me if you need anything." Punk nodded, leaving the house and getting into his car, taking a deep breath a minute to himself to regain composure. It was then he took his phone out, looking at all the missed calls from AJ and from Dean. He then saw a text message from AJ telling him to come to Vincent's house right away.

* * *

Punk sped away to Vincent's house, worried and concerned for his wife, from one heart palpitation to the next. He parked up outside the house, locking his car over and running up the steps to the house.

He couldn't understand why AJ would be here, it worried him, he felt like things weren't safe around him. He had a feeling his family just weren't safe. If there was one thing he knew from his younger days, it was that Rio always had a back-up plan for a back-up plan.

He walked into the house, not bothering to knock, pausing for a second as he heard chatter, as if it was coming from many people in the living room.

He slowly opened up the living room door, opening it up wide and pausing as he looked on. There was many things he was expecting. This was not it.

He looked over at AJ and Dean who were standing by the window, and then he saw Marina's family, he saw Vincent and some guys he remembered from when he was younger and foolish.

"W-What the hell is going on?" Punk shook his head, walking over to AJ and Dean.

"We wanna help." Vincent said as Punk turned to him.

"So do we." Marina's sister spoke up as she stood with her family.

"Help with what?" Punk looked at them, turning to AJ and Dean with confusion.

"I don't think this is over yet." AJ shook her head.


	80. What Happened

**What Happened**

* * *

"April… honey…" Punk said, standing beside AJ as he looked around the room, "I think I may have opened the door to the past." He shook his head, "And I'd really like to close it." He whispered harshly.

"It's ok." AJ assured him, "Everyone here wants to help."

"Help with what? Would someone like to tell me what's going on here? There's plenty of you to nominate someone." He said.

"Vincent." AJ nodded to Vincent, "Tell him what you told me." She said as Punk looked over at Vincent.

"Ok so I got a letter from Rio a couple months back, must have been not long after he was imprisoned." Vincent explained, "Asking me to come see him. So I did. I was curious." He said, "He asked me if I could put his son up for a few weeks. Jackson was getting out of prison and Rio wanted him to have a place to stay. He said I owed him one from back in the day, which I know I did, I borrowed a lot of money from him one time." He said, "As I'm sure we all did." He looked around the room.

"Ok, keep talking." Punk said.

"So I agreed." Vincent said, "But then whilst he was talking about why he was in prison, and what got him caught, he said he… he wasn't finished with you and your family. And that he was gonna come for April." He nodded, "Said that all of this started with her, and it would end with her." He said as Punk turned to AJ who gulped.

"And you… you did nothing about it?!" Punk yelled.

"Hey, I didn't know he was gonna act on anything. I just thought he was being his usual cunning self." Vincent said, "I didn't think anything of it. I let Jackson stay with me for about a month and then he left. And so did I. Went to my mom's for Christmas. Then I got pulled back in by the cops to tell me all of this was going on, and that your daughter had been attacked in my house." Vincent said Punk sighed to himself, "So I figured Rio wasn't messing about."

"How can he come for April if he's in prison?" Punk asked.

"He's still running his business." Vincent said.

"He runs it in the southside." Marina's brother, Paolo spoke up as Punk looked over, "He's got about a dozen guys working for him." He nodded.

"Which means he probably planned this with Jackson whilst they were both inside together." Vincent said, "Jackson goes for your daughters and… his monkeys come for April in the chaos of it all."

"Or you're just reaching?" Punk shrugged.

"Phil." AJ shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry I just… I find it a little hard to believe that all of you want to help me and my family. Some of you who I haven't seen since I was nineteen." He said.

"Rio didn't just ruin your life." One of the guys, Jimmy, piped up, "He had all of us."

"He killed my sister." Paolo said, "We're not resting until he dies out to nothing." He said as Punk turned to Dean who just shrugged.

"If the cops can find Jackson quick, we can let them know what's going on with this. We can plan a set-up. We all know how those work." Vincent looked around the room, "Find a way to get the last of Rio's workers arrested, which means he's got nothing and no one anymore." He said.

"Ok well Jackson isn't exactly a problem anymore." Punk said.

"What?" AJ shook her head, "Of course he's a problem he-"

"He's dead." Punk turned to her, "Dominic killed him." He whispered to her.

"What?!" AJ shrieked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Good. One down. One to go." Paolo nodded, sitting down on the sofa and twiddling his thumbs as Punk turned to AJ and Dean.

"Ok, I can't be the only one who is a little suspicious about this." Punk whispered to Dean and AJ.

"We can hear you." Vincent nodded as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Phil, what do you mean Dominic killed Jackson?" AJ shook her head.

"I mean… Jackson came to Thea's house, had her cornered, Dominic came in and killed him." Punk said, "He's at the police station right now. Thea is with Sam. She's a mess." Punk said.

"Oh my God." AJ shook her head, "Is Dominic gonna be ok? Are they gonna charge him?" She asked, so many more questions, so many more what ifs.

"He… He should be fine." Punk nodded confidently, turning around and looking at everyone in the room. He remembered all of them. Good people who got caught up with bad, just like him. He saw the sincerity in their faces. The want to help. The need to make things right.

"You gonna let us help you?" Vincent asked as Punk looked at them all.

"Help me with what exactly? What-What's the plan?" Punk questioned as Vincent smiled.

"That's more like the Brooks I remember." Vincent smiled, walking over and extending his hand out as Punk took it, shaking it and embracing him.

Some of the people in the room he used to be best friends with, some he crashed in their houses when he, AJ and Dean had nowhere else to go. His street family. His only family at one point. He never knew that all this time they all wished for the same peace he did.

* * *

"Ok, Dominic." Karen walked into the interrogation room where Dominic was sitting, "What happened? Tell me everything." She said, sitting down at the table and looking across at him as Dominic stared her…

"_No… they're not." Jackson shook his head, "Cause I'm gonna disappear." He nodded, walking closer to her, "And your sister, poor little Jude, she's gonna have to live her life knowing I'm still out there and I… I could come back any time." He smiled, "You all get to live with that fear now." He said as Thea reached for a knife in the drawer behind her, "Hell… maybe when I come back, it might be Cassie's turn…"_

"_Shut up." Thea spat, "You will never touch either of my sisters." She made clear._

"_I'll do what I want." Jackson said, "Maybe me and you can even rekindle things, who knows? The possibilities are endless." He smiled as Thea stared at him._

_She couldn't take it. The fact he felt no remorse for what he'd done. For the pain he'd left her sister with. The way he thought he could just carry on living his life. She just couldn't take it._

"_You will get what you deserve for what you did to my sister." Thea spat, "And your dad will get what he deserves one day."_

"_No… no, because like my dad says, when all you have is yourself, nothing can hurt you." Jackson nodded, "That's why you're all so screwed. You got too many people you gotta look out for and protect and… that must be exhausting-"_

"_It's called family." Thea said, "And I'm so glad I have one. I'm so glad that I am… I am loved too much like you think, because yeah when I hurt… I really hurt… but when I'm loved, I'm really loved… and that's something you will never, ever experience in your life." She said, "And it's something you don't deserve."_

"_Yeah well I don't want it." Jackson nodded, "You know, it's funny… I've known you since you were thirteen. Little rebel Thea." He said, "Could have predicted your downfall from the second I laid eyes on you." He said, "And trust me, babe, you haven't reached your peak downfall yet."_

"_Oh, yeah? When is that happening?" Thea smiled, "When are they gonna find me in a bathroom floor with a needle in my arm? When is that happening?" She spat as Jackson smiled._

"_When everybody least expects it, trust me." Jackson smiled, "That is if… any of your family are still around to give a shit."_

"_What the hell is that meant to mean?" Thea spat._

"_Well come on, my dad isn't done with your mom. He's not gonna stop until he gets her." Jackson said, "You'd be amazed with the strings you can still pull when your locked up."_

"_No one is touching my mom." Thea hissed, "You're done. Finished. And so is your dad." She spat._

"_No, trust me, we're not." Jackson chuckled, "Oh, that's cute." Jackson pointed to Thea's tattoo on her hand, the one that wasn't hidden behind her back clutching a knife._

"_W-What?" Thea shook her head._

"_Matching tattoos with your sister? Sweet." Jackson smiled, "Yeah, I was starting at your sister's whilst I took her from behind-" He was cut off as Thea plunged the knife into his chest, yelling out as she did so with force, stabbing him fiercely as he looked at her for a few seconds._

_Thea kept her hands on the knife which she'd driven into his chest, blood now covering her hands as she ripped the knife back out of him, watching as he grabbed onto the table, blood spilling from his mouth and seeping out of his chest quickly, the life slowly draining out of him as Thea stood, her hands shaking as she dropped the knife._

"Uh… I… I had gone out for pizza for me and Thea" Dominic explained, "When I came back in I heard Jackson's voice and Thea asking him to stop." He said, "I was around when this guy attacked her years ago. He also attacked me and put me in hospital back then too so… I know what he's capable of."

"So you're telling me you didn't know he had raped Jude at this point?" Karen wondered.

"Had no clue. Just knew my wife needed help." Dominic nodded, "So I ran into the kitchen and saw he had his hands around her neck, pressed up against the kitchen counter." He said as Karen nodded, "I saw the knife on the kitchen counter by the sink and I just… acted." He said, "I was scared that he could have knocked me out or took me out and then… hurt Thea." Dominic said, "And our son was asleep upstairs so… I just acted out of defence." He nodded.

"Ok." Karen said.

"Once I had… stabbed him, Thea told me that he'd confessed to raping Jude." Dominic said, "He must have been there to tell her and then… I don't know, I don't wanna think about what he was gonna do next." Dominic said, "I was just protecting my wife. My family." He said as Karen looked across at him, nodding.

"Ok, Dominic." Karen sighed to herself, "Just a few more questions and then… then you can go." She nodded.

"Ok." Dominic nodded hopefully.


	81. Bluffing

**Bluffing**

* * *

"Oh, thank God." Thea stood up as she saw Dominic walk into Sam's living room, "Thank God." She sighed, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him as her hugged her back tightly, burying his face into her neck.

In all honesty, he was glad Jackson was gone, because he didn't want to think about the dangers Thea was in with him around. He was so relieved she and James were safe.

"I'm ok." Dominic assured her, kissing her cheek as Thea looked up at him.

"What's going on? What did they say to you?" Thea asked.

"Not much really. They let me do the talking. They were asking me about the history with Jackson so I had to go over all of that again." He said, "I think they want to speak to you at some point too. I don't think they're jumping at it, though, considering the guy was an evil piece of shit." He said as Thea nodded, still shaken up, "Where's your dad?"

"I don't know, he dropped me off here and then left." Thea said, "Sam is upstairs changing James' diaper. She's sober, don't worry." She added as Dominic nodded.

"Ok, now would be a good time for you to tell me what the hell actually happened?" Dominic asked, "Did he… did he hurt you?"

"No… no he didn't touch me." Thea said truthfully, "I went upstairs to check on James and then I came back and he was in the kitchen." She said, "I just thought he was out of prison and had come to finish me off, because his dad couldn't… that's when he started talking and I realised he was the one who had attacked Jude." She said, "He said he was gonna disappear and leave Jude with the fear that he was still out there, and that he could come back any time." She said, "And I just couldn't… I couldn't have Jude live her life like that." She said, "And he kept talking about her attack and I just… I just lost it." She shook her head, "I just… couldn't hear any more of it. Knowing what he'd done to Jude, what memory and pain he'd left her with… I just couldn't-"

"Ok, ok…" Dominic wrapped his arms back around her tightly as she held onto him.

"It wasn't self-defence." Thea understood, "He wasn't touching me. I just… did it." She said as Dominic shook his head.

"No, you were defending your sister and any other girl who could be in danger of him. You didn't know what he was gonna do." Dominic said, caressing the back of her head softly.

"I don't want you taking the blame for this." Thea shook her head.

"I'm not gonna get into trouble. They just need to know what happened." Dominic said, "Don't worry about me." He said as Thea sighed to herself.

"I want to go see Jude." Thea said, "I want to be with her right now." She nodded.

"Ok." Dominic agreed, "Me and your dad agreed that we stick to the story that it was me who did it. Ok?" He looked at her, "Even with your mom and your sisters and your family. Gives us less chance of getting caught out." He said as Thea nodded.

"Ok." Thea nodded.

* * *

"You really think this is gonna work?" Dean asked, standing in the street with Punk and AJ, "Because I don't fancy getting killed or going to prison." He nodded, "I've done well to avoid both this far in my life."

"Yeah, don't rub it in." Punk nodded, "It's gonna work."

"Can't help think I'm being used as bait." AJ said.

"You're not being used as bait. Rio is just gonna think that." Punk said, "First things first, we gotta tell the police, get them on board-"

"Did I just hear that right?" AJ smiled a little as Punk turned to her, "Phillip Brooks wanting the police to help?" She smiled.

"Don't get used to it." Punk said as she kissed his shoulder, "Everyone knows what they're supposed to do. Everyone is on the same page." He nodded with ease. Having help from other people for once was unusual. He was so used to it being the three of them against everyone. The pressure didn't feel so suffocating. The fear of something bad happening didn't feel so likely, and with the police on board, it was almost certain to work in their favour.

"We tell the cops tonight. Vincent goes to Rio tomorrow to set it in motion." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, and we tell the girls everything." Punk nodded, "They're not in the dark with this." He said as AJ nodded.

"Sean text me and told me Jude was awake." AJ nodded as they arrived at Sean's house, all agreeing that being with Jude right now was still the most important thing.

Punk walked into the house first as AJ and Dean followed, walking into the living room where they saw Thea sitting with Jude on the sofa, whilst Dominic was standing over by the window with Sean.

"Hey." AJ immediately walked over to her daughters, wrapping her arms around them both, kissing their heads, meanwhile Punk made his way over to Dominic and Sean.

"How'd it go?" Punk asked Dominic.

"They questioned me for a while but… they let me go." Dominic shrugged, "Said they'd be in touch, I guess. And that they'd wanna talk to Thea but… it went as well as it could have."

"Ok." Punk nodded, patting Dominic on the back, "You're gonna be fine." He assured him, "How is Jude doing?" Punk asked Sean.

"She's just found out about Jackson being dead. She's sort of all over the place." Sean said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I don't blame her." Punk sighed, looking over at AJ sitting with the girls, "Just stick together with each other right now. It's gonna be over soon." He assured them both. His girls weren't just his family, these boys were his family too, and he promised he'd protect them just like his daughters.

Punk made his way over to Thea and Jude, hugging them both as they clung onto him tightly, "It's gonna be ok." He whispered to them both, crouching down at the couch, "He's gone." Punk nodded to Jude, "And I know… I know that really doesn't make a difference to what you're going through, but he can never, ever hurt you again." He made clear as Jude nodded whilst Thea looked on.

"I just want all of this to be over." Jude told him as Punk nodded.

"It will be. Soon." Punk nodded, looking over at AJ who gave him a nod, "But it's not over yet." He said as they both looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Thea shook her head. Ultimately with Jackson being dead, they only assumed that this was somewhat over.

"AJ, call Karen and tell her to come here, that we gotta talk." Punk said as AJ nodded, leaving the room with her phone as Punk stood up.

"Dad, what's going on?" Jude shook her head as Dominic and Sean looked over curiously.

"This is what's gonna happen…" Punk began.

* * *

"They killed him." Rio spat, "They killed my son." He said, sitting at the visiting table in the prisons visiting room, looking across at Vincent.

"I-I know." Vincent nodded, "I'm so sorry." He said as Rio shook his head, "I want to help you." He said as Rio looked up at him.

"You want to help me?" Rio chuckled.

"I do." Vincent nodded, "I owe you one, right? And they killed your son. I'm a dad too. If… If anything happened to my kids whilst I was locked up, I'd expect old friends to show up and help me out. I can't imagine how helpless you feel in there." He said. Of course he'd prepared what he was going to say.

"Helpless isn't the word." Rio said, "Agitated." He corrected, leaning back on his chair and stretching as Vincent watched him, "And what can you help me with exactly?" He questioned.

"You told me you wanted April." Vincent said as Rio looked across at him, "I'm a free man out here, I can help you out with that." He said, "Don't forget, that bitch got me put in prison too. It wasn't just Brooks."

"That's right." Rio nodded, "I forgot you took the fall too." He realised, looking across at Vincent.

"Look, I don't know what you have planned already, but let me help. If you need me to get April somewhere, I can do it." Vincent said. He knew Rio well enough to know that when he was desperate and out of plans and ideas, he would jump at any sincere sounding help he could get, if it meant getting his revenge.

"I want both of them." Rio said, "Phil and April." He said as Vincent nodded slowly, "Hell Dean too. He's just as guilty as both of them."

"Just Phil, April and Dean?" Vincent asked as Rio nodded.

"There's a junk yard about ten minutes South of here, used to be the old trailer park, you remember it?" Rio asked as Vincent nodded.

"I know it, yeah." Vincent nodded.

"Get those three there. That's all you gotta go." Rio nodded to himself, "My guys working for me will take care of the rest. But I gotta be careful. Cops are keeping an eye on who is visiting me." Rio said quietly, "Since when did the cops start liking street kids like April and Phil?"

"Beats me." Vincent shook his head, "Time and date?" He asked.

"Tomorrow night. 9pm." Rio said as Vincent nodded.

"Ok." Vincent said.

"Come visit me when it's done." Rio nodded, "Chaos will follow after it, but I want to know it's done." He said as Vincent nodded.

"Ok. I'll come with good news, hopefully." Vincent said as Rio nodded.

"You better." Rio said as Vincent nodded.

"I will." Vincent said, standing up from the table and leaving the room as Rio watched apprehensively. Love may have been Punk's downfall, but desperation was sure to be his.


	82. Showdown

**Showdown**

* * *

"I don't like this." AJ shook her head, driving to the junk yard with Vincent, Punk and Dean. Putting the plan in motion, "I am not cut out for this life anymore, ok? I am a grandmother." She said as Dean rolled his eyes.

"Just shut up." Dean scoffed.

"Hottest grandmother I've ever seen." Vincent chuckled.

"What was that?" Punk said as Vincent shook his head.

"Nothing." Vincent shook his head quickly as Punk rolled his eyes.

"You're gonna be fine." Punk nodded, "The cops are here. Marina's family are here."

"My guys are here." Vincent added, "Let's just go in here and end Rio, once and for all. If we take his business, he really has nothing left anymore, and he can't hurt anyone ever again."

"Yeah it all sounds very satisfying." AJ agreed, "I just don't want anyone to get hurt." She said, "I don't need anyone risking their lives for us."

"We're not." Vincent said, "We all want Rio finished just as much as you do." He said.

"Ok, I can see Karen." Punk noticed as they pulled up outside the junk yard, noticing a black van where Karen promised to be listening in from. Cops were surrounding the area, hidden behind the different mountains of junk, as well as Marina's family and some old guys from the past.

When Punk had spoken to Marina about the plan, he could see she was doubtful, but once going over it she was on board. If it meant finishing one of the city's most notorious drug gang leaders once and for all, and if it meant Jude getting some closure, she was agreeing to help.

"How many guys are you expecting?" Dean asked.

"Well Paolo said Rio only has about twelve working for him so… hopefully most of them show up. Most likely they're gonna be armed but… that's what the cops are here to take care of." Vincent said.

"I don't remember you being this wise back in the day." Punk realised.

"Shut up." Vincent said, parking the car at the side of the junk yard and getting out as Punk, Dean and AJ followed, "Ok, remember I'm just delivering you guys." He said as they nodded, walking into the junk yard as AJ took Punk's hand immediately.

"This is gonna be over tonight." Punk reminded her as she nodded.

"I just wish the bastard himself was here." Dean nodded, "Would be a lot more enjoyable to see him gunned down and handcuffed."

"His own punishment will come, believe me." Punk nodded calmly.

"Ok, this is them. This is them." Vincent whispered, nudging Punk who looked on, watching a dozen guys standing over by two vans in the centre of the yard.

"Vincent?" One of Rio's guys, his second hand man, Jace shouted over.

"That's me." Vincent nodded, "They're all yours." He backed up to the side out of the way as Punk, AJ and Dean stood by themselves.

"Which one of you is April?" The guy asked as Punk and Dean scoffed.

"Yeah, that would be me." AJ nodded, watching as he raised his gun up, directly in line with her as Punk pulled her behind him, allowing Marina's family and the rest of the guys to come out of hiding, with their own guns.

"Oh." Jace chuckled, "That's how we're playing, is it?" He chuckled, walking around to the back of one of the vans, opening it up, "Now I'm assuming…" He grabbed someone out of the van, "You'd like me to return her?" He questioned as Punk and AJ watched Cassie being pulled out of the van.

"No!" AJ began to move forward.

"Come any closer and she's dead." Jace pointed his gun at Cassie's head as Punk kept a hold of AJ to keep her back.

"Nobody move." Karen ordered from the van, "Don't make a move just yet." She said as she was listening in and watching what was going down from the undercover cop van.

"You let her go." Punk said. He knew he shouldn't have walked into this with a chip on his shoulder, but it was hard to think anything could go wrong with the allies they had formed and the preparation they'd made beforehand.

"No, I don't think so." Jace shook his head, holding Cassie around her jaw, "She's a tough little bitch, though. Headbutted the shit out of me earlier." He said.

"This was just us. You just wanted us!" Punk yelled, looking over at Cassie who was looking at him helplessly.

"How stupid do you think Rio is?" Jace chuckled, "Huh? What do you think he'd really buy this little peace offering?"

"This has nothing to do with them." Punk said, "It's us. It's all us. Kids don't need to be involved in this."

"Oh, really?" Jace asked, "Because Rio is down a son and you still have all three of your kids. He doesn't like that." He said, "What is it they say? Eye for an eye? Tooth for a tooth?" He smiled.

"Let her go!" Punk yelled, moving slightly closer as Jace pressed the gun on Cassie's temple, causing Punk to pause.

"You know it was hard to pick, but we narrowed it down to this one… Cassie, is it?" Jace questioned, "Because we figured, let's let the raped one live, so she can remember all of this for the rest of her life… let's let the crackhead live because… let's face it, everyone loves a crackhead." Jace nodded, "Which left us with little Cassie here."

"Please… I am begging you." Punk said, "Let her go."

"Not gonna happen. In fact, you can blow a kiss goodbye to little-"

Jace was cut off as a loud gun shot fired through the yard, blood splashing all over Cassie's face as she felt Jace let go of her, collapsing on the ground with a bullet in his head.

Punk turned around immediately, watching as Karen came out from behind one of the scrap piles with her gun, the rest of the police department emerging to take care of the rest of Rio's workers, the only people who could really do something legal and permanent about these cancers, the final clingons that belonged to Rio. The last bunch of his puppets he'd ever get his hands on

"Everybody stay back!" Karen ordered, but AJ and Punk had already made their way over to Cassie who was standing still, not moving with fright.

"Baby, you're ok." AJ caressed Cassie's cheeks, "You're ok." She said desperately wrapping her arms around her as Punk wrapped his arms around both of them, shielding them from the chaos going on around them, "We've got you." AJ whispered to Cassie who held onto her tightly.

* * *

"You're a very brave girl." Karen smiled, looking on at Cassie sitting at the back of an ambulance, getting a stitch in her forehead for a cut which she'd gotten from her kidnap.

"I think so too." AJ agreed, sitting beside Cassie, not wanting to leave her sight for a single second.

"You feeling ok?" Karen asked as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Cassie said as Karen smiled and nodded.

"Just take it easy, stay sitting down for a little while, I'll go get you some water." Karen said as Cassie nodded, watching her walk away.

Karen headed over to one of the cop cars where Punk was standing, "Mister Brooks you have very brave daughters." Karen nodded as Punk sighed to himself and nodded. He knew that.

"Thank you." Punk nodded to her as she looked across at him, "Thank you for all of this. I… I should have known that nobody was safe and that… things weren't gonna go how we planned." He shook his head.

"Well that's just the evil of people like Rio. When he goes low, he goes really low." Karen nodded, "But… you're all safe and healthy and he is finished for good." Karen nodded.

They had successfully arrested and diminished the last of Rio's business and workers, with the help of trusting one another, something Rio could never quite grasp.

"What happens next?" Punk asked her.

"What happens next is you to get to go home and take care of your family. Take care of Jude." Karen emphasised as Punk nodded, "We'll handle the rest." She said, "Cassie said that she was taken out the trash at her aunt's house when she was grabbed into a van. We've checked in with the rest of your family, they're all…" Karen paused as she saw Thea and Jude arriving, getting out of a car, "They're all here." She smiled a little as Punk turned around, noticing the rest of his family had arrived.

"Are you ok?" Thea questioned, running over to Cassie and AJ who were sitting on the end of the ambulance, wrapping her arms around Cassie.

"I'm suffocating." Cassie said as Thea squeezed her even tighter as Cassie smiled.

"We're ok." AJ nodded, watching Jude appear, also wrapping her arms around Cassie, participating in a much needed three-way sister hug as AJ smiled.

"Are they all gone? Did it work?" Thea asked as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, they're all gone." AJ nodded as Thea hugged her mother tightly.

"Jude I hope this helps you with what you're going through." Cassie said as Jude looked down at her with a small smile.

"It does." Jude whispered, squeezing Cassie tightly, "I'm so glad you're ok." She took a deep breath.

After discovering Cassie had gone missing, they of course thought the worse, but being able to hug her and realise this thing was over. This part was over. It was such a relief.

Punk made his way back over to the ambulance, noticing Renee had arrived and was standing over with Dean and their kids.

"Hey." Thea noticed her dad, running over to him and hugging him tightly.

"Hey." Punk smiled, kissing her head and squeezing her, "Is everyone ok? Dominic and James?"

"They're fine." Thea nodded, "Sean too."

"Good." Punk nodded, watching as Jude came over with Cassie, both of them hugging into him as he wrapped his arms around all three of them tightly, the most important people in his life, his entire world.

AJ watched with a relieved smile as Punk swaddled up their daughters in an embrace. She could see the relief on his face, she felt it too. She welcomed the invitation of safety back into their lives again with open arms.

"You made the right call." Chris, Karen's partner nodded to her as she stood by her cop car.

The yard was swarming with cops as they took care of one of the biggest break-throughs in recent years.

"Yeah." Karen agreed, "I did." She nodded confidently, looking over at Punk hugging all three girls, "They're good people." She determined as Chris nodded.

"Yeah, I think so." Chris agreed, "What now?"

"Still got some loose ends to tie up with this." Karen said, "But I'll be going to court to request rules be in place for Rio at prison, including an extension on his sentence to make sure he never leaves that prison, not unless it's in a body bag." She said as Chris nodded.

"Yes, boss." Chris smiled, wandering away as Karen looked over at Punk's family in tight embrace. It was impossible not to smile.


	83. The War

**The War**

* * *

Punk woke up the next morning, having slept in Cassie's bedroom, looking up at the posters on her room wall, tilting his head a little as he looked at them.

"I don't even know who these people are." He shook his head, getting out of the bed and standing up, making his way out of the bedroom as he rubbed his eyes. It was the first he'd really slept in days. It was the first they'd all really slept.

He opened up the door to the spare bedroom, looking on at Jude and Thea asleep in the double bed. James was asleep in the nursery whilst AJ and Cassie were asleep in he and AJ's bed. A little reshuffling going on to make sure everyone was as comfortable as they could be.

He made his way into he and AJ's bedroom, looking on at his wife fast asleep whilst Cassie slept peacefully beside her. He watched as AJ opened his eyes, smiling to him.

"Hey." Punk whispered.

"Hi." AJ smiled as he leaned over and gave her a kiss, "Did you get some sleep?" She cupped his cheek as he nodded.

"Yeah, more than I expected." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Me too." AJ smiled.

"I'm gonna shower and head out." He said as AJ sat up a little against the headboard.

"Out where?" She whispered as he looked across at her.

"Just… something I need to go do." Punk nodded as AJ nodded.

"Ok." AJ smiled, "Is everyone else still sleeping?"

"Yeah, I think so. Well Thea and Jude are. I assume Dominic is crashed on the couch downstairs." Punk said as AJ nodded, "Did she fall asleep ok?" He pointed to Cassie who was peacefully sleeping beside AJ.

"Yeah, she was ok." AJ nodded, "She's fearless." She smiled, stroking Cassie's arm softly as Punk nodded.

"Yeah I wonder who she gets that from." Punk smiled sweetly as AJ smiled, "Do you know she has a ton of posters of boys up in her room?" He questioned as AJ chuckled a little.

"I did know, yeah." AJ nodded.

"I had to stare at them all whilst I was falling asleep." Punk scoffed.

"Sounds like a dream to me." AJ smiled.

"Behave." Punk tutted as AJ smiled, watching him grab some clean clothes from the dresser.

"Are you waiting for me to ask where you're going?" AJ asked.

"Don't you play dumb with me, Mendez." Punk said teasingly, "You know where I'm going."

"You know you don't have to." AJ assured him.

"I think I need to." Punk nodded as AJ looked across at him, "Do you want to come?" He asked her as she shook her head.

"No, I don't need to. I've made my peace with it." AJ said, at peace with the closure she had.

"Ok." Punk nodded to himself, "Maybe when I get back we can… make breakfast for everyone." He said as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be good." AJ nodded.

* * *

Punk eventually left his house, leaving his family sleeping as it was still fairly early in the morning. AJ had even felt back asleep by the time he got out of the shower, but he wanted that, he wanted to see them all at peace. Even if there were broken pieces in each of them, even if there had been pain left behind for them, in each of them, the peace was still there.

He walked into the prison office, a place he hadn't been since he was an inmate himself. He signed in at the visitation desk and was walked through to the visitation room. The room he would sit in with Jude and help her with homework, watching her grow from afar. The room his struggling eldest daughter hugged him goodbye for four years. The room he was told he was a father to a third baby girl he never got to hold or see for eight years. It was difficult being back in that room.

He was sat down at one of the tables and waited for the inmates to come out. He knew which door, it was the door he would come out every week for eight years. He'd never forget it. To be on the other side of that door was a relief.

He spotted Rio making his way out, pausing for a second as he noticed it was Punk who was visiting him, an indication that for once, his plan hadn't gone in his favour at all.

Punk had to remember to breathe for a second, promising himself he would keep calm, that this man didn't deserve his anger.

"Well well well." Rio nodded, walking over to the table and sitting down, staring across at Punk.

"Expecting someone else?" Punk asked.

"Maybe." Rio nodded, looking across at him. Neither of them said anything for the longest time, they just simply stared at one another for a few minutes.

"I'm gonna be the last person to visit you in here." Punk nodded.

"Oh, you think so?" Rio chuckled.

"Yeah. Not just because no one wants to visit you but… I heard you're going into solitary confinement to finish the rest of your sentence which… is going to last the rest of your life." Punk reminded him as Rio stared him. Something Karen had told him last night.

"Is that right?" Rio smiled a little.

"So believe me, knowing I'm the last person you're gonna see from the outside world gives me a lot of satisfaction." Punk nodded, "But… it's not like anyone would be coming to visit you anyone, is it?" He said, "Your son is dead-"

"You killed him." Rio spat.

"No, you killed him." Punk nodded, "You turned him into what he became. No one else. At one point in his life, he was just a kid, a helpless kid who you broke." He said, "And now he's exactly where he needs to be." He said.

"Yeah well I'm sure he's gonna live on in your daughter's nightmares." Rio smirked as Punk stared at him intently.

"She'll get through it. She's tough." Punk assured him with confidence.

"Yeah well they get it from April. Not you." Rio spat.

"I agree." Punk nodded, "You told me a while ago that caring about people is what gets you hurt." He said, "And you know… there was a time where I started actually believing that." He said, "And then I hugged my three daughters after finishing you for good… and it was one of the best feelings in the world." Punk said, "Because yeah… when it hurts it really fucking hurts." He said, "But when it's good, and I've got my family in my arms, and they're safe… nothing comes close to ever beating that." He said, "And then I realised that the only reason you don't have the problem of hurting or feeling anything is because no one can love you." He said, "It's impossible." He said.

"I don't need love." Rio shook his head.

"Good because you're never getting it." Punk assured him.

"You think I'm the centre of all your problems?" Rio chuckled, "You think I'm the only dark cloud that hangs over your head?" He questioned.

"I know it's not smooth sailing from here, don't worry. My family are pretty broken right now." Punk admitted, "But it's not gonna be like that forever." He shook his head, "But you know what's forever? Your life in here." He nodded as Rio looked across at him, "And yeah maybe it'll keep you warm at night knowing what demons you've left my family with but you'll still be alone, looking at the same four walls all day, every day." Punk nodded.

"You think you're so tough." Rio chuckled.

"I don't." Punk shook his head honestly, "I just know I have people around me who care about me." He said.

"So I keep hearing." Rio nodded.

"I used to think you were my friend when I was young." Punk nodded as Rio looked across at him, "Someone who would look out for me and my family." He said, "But all you do is use people for power. For gain." He said, "And this is where that's got you." He nodded.

"Phillip Brooks you will wake up one day and you will realise that your problems… they're so much deeper within yourself, so much further beyond than me." Rio nodded.

"You think so?" Punk questioned.

"Oh, I know so." Rio smiled, "Don't you forget where you came from, boy."

"I don't." Punk shook his head, "Because it makes me realise how far I've come and how much I've learned." He nodded, "What do you have to show for all your years? Huh?" He asked, "A dead rapist son and a life sentence in solitary confinement." He nodded as Rio glared at him.

That was the look. The look Punk was begging for from him. The look of anger and rage, "Look at that…" Punk smiled, "Maybe you do care." He said.

"I'll get you." Rio spat angrily.

"Yeah, of course you will." Punk smiled, "I'll see you again." He promised as Rio stared at him with confusion, "When they're lowering you six feet under." Punk spat, standing up from the table.

"Brooks!" Rio yelled as Punk turned around, walking down the visitation room looking in the glass at the reflection as prison guards had a hold of Rio to restrain him, "Brooks get back here!" Rio screamed as Punk smiled to himself. He didn't need to look back. He was no longer looking back.

* * *

"Hey, I brought breakfast." Punk walked into the crowded kitchen with some breakfast.

"We were too hungry to wait" AJ said, having made her own breakfast for everyone.

"I can see that." Punk chuckled, walking over to her and kissing her cheek as she scratched under his stubbly chin sweetly the way she always did.

"You good?" AJ asked quietly.

"Mhm." Punk smiled, rubbing her shoulder as she smiled, "Well here is some extra pancakes and waffles." He said, sitting the bags on the table.

"Dad, Cassie has made a big life decision." Thea announced, sitting at the table with Cassie whilst Dominic stood holding James.

"Oh, yeah?" Punk said, turning to Cassie who nodded, "Shoot."

"I think I want to be a cop." Cassie said as Punk's face dropped, turning to AJ who chuckled to herself.

"Ok let's all just settle down." Punk nodded, messing Cassie's hair up as she shoved him playfully whilst Thea chuckled to herself.

"I think that would be amazing, baby." AJ smiled happily as Punk nodded to himself.

"Me too." Punk nodded quietly to himself as he watched Cassie, happy and healthy, her whole life ahead of her, "Hey, where is Jude?" Punk asked.

"She's in the living room." Thea nodded as Punk wandered away, making his way into the living room where Jude was sitting on the couch.

"Hey, Jude." Punk hummed like the song as Jude looked up.

"Hey." Jude nodded, watching as he sat down beside her on the couch.

"Where is Sean?" He asked.

"He had to go to the station for a little bit." Jude said as Punk nodded.

"How you doing?" Punk asked her as she shrugged.

"I feel like maybe I should be feeling better, I don't know." Jude shrugged.

"No, you feel how you wanna feel." Punk nodded to her.

"I thought I would be more relieved." Jude admitted, "But it's… it's not going away." She shook her head as he nodded.

"I know." Punk sighed, wrapping his arms around her as she leaned into him.

"What if it never does?" She sobbed as Punk kissed her head and held her tightly.

"It might not." He said truthfully, "But the feeling of it will." He promised, "One day this will be all in the past, and I can't predict how you're gonna feel about it but I know we're all gonna be there, through every step of the way." He said.

"I wish I could be as relieved as everyone else." She said, "But I still feel like it's happening to me, over and over again." She cried as Punk sighed and nodded.

"I know." Punk sighed, holding her tightly as she cried. The reality was, the external war may have been fought and won, but the internal one, the one they all felt within them, Jude more so than most, it was only beginning.

"You're gonna get through this. I promise." Punk nodded.


	84. Big Heart

**Big Heart**

* * *

"How you holding up?" Punk asked, walking into the kitchen later on that night where Thea was sitting on her own.

"I'm doing ok." Thea shrugged, "You?"

"Yeah about the same." Punk nodded, sitting down at the table across from her.

"Karen called earlier. She wants me to swing by the station tomorrow to make my statement." Thea said as Punk nodded, "I wish we just told the truth. I feel like lying like this only makes it worse."

"Look, Dominic had the right idea to say it was him. It backs up the defence thing better. If you say you just stuck a knife in him, when he wasn't even touching you… I don't know how serious they would take that." Punk said truthfully, "I know he was a rapist, and he was evil, and deserved nothing less but… it's just better if we cover ourselves."

"And what happens if Dominic gets into trouble?" Thea questioned, "Then what?"

"He won't. It was self-defence." Punk said as Thea sighed to herself, running her hands through her hair, "Look, they just gotta take a statement from you because you were there. They'll wrap it up and Dominic will be let off." He nodded.

"I just don't want him to get into any trouble. He didn't do anything." Thea shook her head.

"He won't." Punk said, "Just go in there tomorrow, tell Karen what Dominic told you to, and it'll get cleared up." He said as Thea nodded, taking a deep breath.

"How is Jude?" Thea asked.

"She's not doing too good." Punk nodded truthfully, "She wants to stay here for a little bit. Sean is gonna go to her apartment and pick some things up." He said as Thea nodded.

"It doesn't stop for her." Thea said, "Knew it wouldn't." She nodded, "Dead or not, he still did what he did to her and she has to deal with that, live with it." Thea shook her head, "It's not fair."

"I know." Punk sighed, "I know it's not. We just gotta be there for her." He said as Thea nodded, "The real problem we gotta talk about is Cassie wanting to be a cop." He teased as Thea chuckled a little.

"I think she'd make a good one." Thea said as Punk smiled.

"Yeah, me too." Punk nodded.

"Me and Dominic should probably get going. We've hung around here long enough." She said, standing up from the table.

"Hey, this is all gonna be ok. We'll get through it together." Punk nodded, standing up and hugging her as she hugged back.

"Yeah, I hope so." Thea nodded.

* * *

"Hey are you ok?" Dominic asked, later that night as he found Thea in James' nursery in their house, "You've been really quiet." He noticed.

"I'm ok." Thea shrugged, "If I told you something would you promise not to tell anyone?" She asked him.

"That's kinda what marriage is, right?" Dominic said as Thea looked at him, "Yes, I promise." He clarified.

"I don't feel bad." Thea said as Dominic looked at her, "I don't feel bad that I killed someone." She said as Dominic nodded slowly, "I mean what does that say about me?" She shook her head worriedly.

"It says that you love your sister and your hurting for her, and that you did to Jackson what we all wanted to do." Dominic nodded.

"But I still took someone's life. Shouldn't I feel something?" Thea questioned.

"Do you want to feel something?" Dominic asked her.

"No… no, I don't." Thea shook her head, "That's the problem." She sighed.

"It's not a problem." Dominic shook his head, "Thea, he raped your sister. He was dangerous. God knows what he was gonna do next." He said, "You did what you did and if you don't feel guilty, I don't think that's a problem."

"Honestly, I'm worried that we… you get into trouble." Thea said.

"It's gonna be fine." Dominic sighed, wrapping his arms around her tightly, "You go into the station tomorrow and you tell them what we talked about, and it'll get cleared up. Karen knows what Jackson had done. She knows what kind of person he was." He said as Thea held onto him tightly, "I'm just so glad you're ok." He sighed with relief as Thea looked up at him.

"I love you so much." She nodded, looking up at him.

"I love you." Dominic nodded, placing his hands on her waist as he leaned down and kissed her.

She deepened the kiss as he stumbled back a little, lifting her up in a flash as she wrapped her legs around him, cupping his face as he walked out of the nursery and into their bedroom with her.

He placed her down on the bed, stripping his t-shirt off as she reached up and pulled him by his jeans over her, circling her legs back around him and taking his lips back against hers desperately.

* * *

"Oh, not this again." Punk groaned, walking into the living room, "I knew I could hear this nonsense from the kitchen." He shook his head.

"Doctor Derek Shepherd is not nonsense." Jude shook her head, sitting with her mother eating some ice-cream.

"Well if you like him so much why are you always watching the episode where he dies?" Punk questioned them both, "Huh?" He shook his head.

"It's just so sad." Jude sighed, looking over at the TV, her shoulders wrapped in a blanket as Punk folded his arms.

"Why don't you watch something happy?" Punk asked, "Like uh… the movie where the penguins dance?"

"Happy Feet?" Cassie took her headphones off, looking up at her dad with disgust, sitting on the opposite couch.

"Yeah. Happy Feet." Punk nodded as Cassie rolled her eyes, putting her headphones back over her ears and looking back at her phone.

"Why don't you just go do whatever it is you do around the house?" Jude waved her hand, reaching for the tissues as Punk shook his head, leaving the living room and heading into the kitchen.

"I'll be back in a minute." AJ said, getting up from the couch and following Punk into the kitchen, "Hey, you ok?" She asked him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Punk said as AJ nodded, watching him sit down at the kitchen table, "You go watch the rest of the TV with Jude." He encouraged.

"I've already seen that episode a dozen times." AJ waved her hand.

"Believe me, I know." Punk nodded as she smiled, sitting down across from him, "I think it's good she's staying with us for a little while. Until she wants to go home." He said.

"Yeah, me too." AJ smiled, "I feel like I can just… take care of her now." AJ nodded, "I already promised tacos tomorrow night. She's eating better actually. She's got a good appetite." AJ said positively, "I just want to focus all my attention on her." She said.

"Yeah, me too." Punk nodded.

"Hey, was Thea ok? She was kinda quiet today." AJ said.

"I think everyone is just exhausted." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"I'm not gonna ask you what happened when you saw him today." AJ said, "I just want to know if you got what you needed from it?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I got what I needed." Punk nodded.

"I'm glad." AJ smiled, "It almost doesn't feel real that he's… he's really finished. He can't get to anyone anymore." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "Karen said he's gonna be in solitary confinement, for the rest of his sentence… meaning, rest of his life."

"Good." AJ said bluntly as Punk nodded, "What about Dominic?" She asked.

"What about him?" Punk said, a little defensively.

"Well is he… is he gonna be in trouble?" AJ asked.

"No, he'll be fine. They'll tie the case up and he'll be let off." Punk nodded confidently, "It was self-defence, and Karen knows what kind of person Jackson was." He said, "I told Thea there's nothing to worry about."

"I hope there isn't." AJ nodded, "What do you think about Cassie talking about being a cop?" She smiled a little as Punk chuckled a little and nodded.

"I think…" Punk said, "She should go be whatever she wants to be, do whatever she wants to do… I sure as hell won't stop her." He said as AJ smiled.

"What you thinking?" She asked, looking across at him, wondering what was going on in his head.

"I'm thinking… finishing Rio wasn't gonna fix everything for us." Punk nodded, "Sure, we're all safe, but… we gotta be there for Jude and help her through this. Because she's living in a frickin nightmare every day." He shook his head as AJ nodded.

"I brought up going to some counselling or therapy but she shut me down. Actually her words were mom can you just step off my neck for a second." AJ nodded as Punk looked across at her, "In all my twenty-seven years of being a mom, dealing with everything mom's deal with, I've always found solutions. Even when Thea was sick and she was… going through her addiction." AJ said, "It wasn't easy but we got there in the end, all the rehab programs, all the meetings and counselling, they paid off eventually." AJ nodded, "I don't really have a solution for this." She admitted truthfully, "And as a mom, being the one who they expect to fix things… knowing I can't fix this for her…" She placed her hands over her forehead, taking a deep breath as she felt tears in her eyes.

"I know." Punk sighed, reaching over and taking her hand as she looked across at him, brushing her tears away, "We can help her through this. Be her support system. Do whatever she needs us to do to help her move on." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"She was always the one who… who came and checked on me on you birthday, when you were gone." AJ smiled, "Or when it was Christmas and Thanksgiving… she just has the biggest heart. She always has." AJ shook her head, drying her tears, "She never deserved any of this." She shook her head.

_AJ came downstairs from putting one year old Cassie down to sleep, her other daughter's also both in their beds as it drew past their bed time._

_She made her way into the kitchen, finally cooking herself dinner after a long day at work and picking her kids up from their respective baby-sitters/school, doing the homework routine and making them dinner, the usual things she didn't think twice about._

_She sat down at the kitchen table, picking at her dinner, sitting her fork down and placing her hand over her face and sobbing to herself in the empty kitchen. She'd never felt so alone like this. She truly felt like the other half of her was missing. When it grew quiet at night and the girls were all in bed, and it was just her, all alone, everything just felt cold._

_She never heard little footsteps coming downstairs and through to the kitchen._

"_Mom." Seven year old Jude said, standing at the kitchen door worriedly as AJ looked up suddenly._

"_Oh… hey." AJ smiled, drying her face, trying to pretend things were ok, especially for her daughters, "What are you doing up?" She smiled, holding in her tears._

"_Are you ok?" Jude wondered, walking into the kitchen slowly._

"_I'm fine, baby. Don't you worry about me." AJ promised as Jude looked at her. She was no fool._

"_Are you sad because you miss dad?" Jude figured as AJ looked across at her, biting her lip, doing anything she could to keep her tears in._

"_Yeah, a little." AJ gulped. _

"_I don't want you to cry." Jude ran over to her sadly._

"_I'm ok. See…" AJ dried her tears up, "All better." She smiled as Jude stared at her._

"_Do you want a hug?" Jude asked curiously. She was old enough to understand why her mom was sad, but still too young to realise the significance of her father no longer being around._

"_Y-Yeah." AJ nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat as Jude climbed up onto her lap, wrapping her little arms around her neck tightly as AJ held onto her tightly, like her life depended on it._


	85. Truth

**Truth**

* * *

"Ok, just down the hall here." Karen smiled, walking Thea down the station as she followed.

"Don't worry, not my first time being in here." Thea assured her.

"Oh, yeah? You got a record?" Karen asked.

"Yeah, for trespassing when I was like seventeen." Thea nodded, "And then again, when I was eighteen, disturbing the peace or whatever they call it." She said as Karen nodded.

"Well that's better than murder." Karen smiled as Thea fake nodded, widening her eyes as Karen turned back around, "In this room, here." Karen opened up the interviewing room as Thea nodded, walking on in and taking a seat at the table.

"How long will this take? I'm going to see Jude after this and Dominic is outside waiting in the car." Thea nodded.

"Just as long as the questions I have for you." Karen nodded, sitting down at the table, "How is your family doing?" She asked.

"They're ok. Getting by, I guess." Thea nodded, "Jude is staying with my parents for a little while. I think she wants to be home right now, and I think it's good she stays around people." She said as Karen nodded.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Karen nodded, "And how have you been doing?" She asked.

"Me?" Thea questioned as Karen nodded, "I'm… I'm fine." She shrugged as Karen nodded, looking across at her.

"Ok." Karen said, "Just walk me through what happened that night that Jackson came to your house. Every little detail. Things he said. Things he did. The more you tell me, the more I have to work with so I can appeal that Dominic shouldn't stand before a judge."

"Well Dominic had gone out to get us dinner. I was having a cigarette at the back door when I heard James crying from upstairs." Thea said, "So I put my cigarette out and went to go check on him." She said, "I left the back door open. Didn't think at the time, I guess. It's not like I was expecting anyone to come in." She shook her head, "Went up and checked on James. He must have just had a bad dream or something. He fell right back asleep once he saw me." She smiled to herself, "So then I went back downstairs, into the kitchen and… he was standing there."

"Now correct me if I'm wrong but this was before you even knew he had raped your sister, right?" Karen asked.

"I never knew it was him until he told me that night." Thea nodded.

"Ok." Karen nodded, "What'd he say to you?"

"I can't really remember everything he said. There was a lot." Thea nodded, "He brought up my drinking problems, trying to get in my head." She said, "Spoke about his dad and how they'd spent some good time inside." She shook her head as Karen nodded, "And then he went onto confess about Jude and what he'd done." She said, "I just… I couldn't believe it." She shook her head.

"Did he… happen to say why he did it? I know that you or I… most people in the world wouldn't be able to understand such a thing like that but… did he?" She asked.

"Not really but he did say that he was gonna disappear, and we wouldn't know when he was gonna come back, and that Jude would have to live with knowing he was still out there, and that he could come back any time and…" Thea paused, looking down for a moment, "God knows what he was insinuating." She shook her head as Karen nodded.

"At one point did he put his hands on you then?" Karen asked, listening specifically for this part.

"Well he was getting progressively closer to me as he kept talking. He just grabbed me out of nowhere." Thea nodded, "I just…I didn't know what he was gonna do. I tried fighting back but he had his hands around my neck." Thea said, "Then Dominic came in… he grabbed a knife from the drawer and…" She said, "That was it."

"He took the knife from the drawer?" Karen asked, looking down at Dominic's statement.

"Yeah." Thea nodded.

"Dominic said he took it from the kitchen sink." Karen looked at Thea.

"Y-Yeah… that's what I meant." Thea nodded, her heart starting to race as Karen looked across at her, "Look, God knows what he was gonna do next and… and my sister wouldn't' have been safe with him out there, no woman is… and he felt no remorse, he didn't care about what he'd done and someone like that just-"

"Thea." Karen said calmly over Thea's panic, "Thea." She said again as Thea stopped rambling and looked over at her, "I've been a detective for over ten years now." She nodded, "I know things."

"W-What are you talking about?" Thea shook her head.

"Are you telling me the truth?" Karen asked as Thea stared at her, "You'll be in a lot less trouble if you tell me now, rather than later." She made clear, "Did you kill Jackson?" She asked.

* * *

"Chips for breakfast, huh?" Punk nodded, walking into the kitchen where Jude was sitting eating some chips.

"I couldn't be bothered making anything." Jude shrugged as he nodded, sitting down at the table across from her.

"How'd you sleep?" Punk asked.

"I don't sleep. It's more of a… dozing off and then waking up all of a sudden, every hour." Jude said as Punk nodded.

"That'll get better." Punk assured her, "I was gonna get ready and go to the store, you wanna come? Mom has gave me a big ass list. I could do with some help." He nodded. He figured he would just treat Jude the same as he normally would. He didn't want to tiptoe around her because he knew she hated that sort of treatment.

"I think I'll pass." Jude nodded to him, "I mean… I know I have to go out at some point and start living again but… I just don't feel up to it right now." She said.

"That's ok." Punk assured her, "Whenever you're ready. I'm sure I'll need to go to the store again in my lifetime." He said as she smiled.

"I don't know if part of me wanted to see him." Jude said, "Jackson." She nodded as Punk looked across at her, "Ask him why. What did I ever do to deserve… that?" She shook her head, "But… part of me is just so glad he's gone, and he can't hurt anyone ever again."

"I don't think he could have gave you answers to your questions anyway. He wasn't human. He had no remorse and… seeing him would have probably hurt you way more than it ever would him." Punk nodded.

"He was around me when I was like… six." Jude shook her head, placing her hand over her forehead, "I can't stop seeing his face."

"It is gonna get better." Punk nodded, "It might not fully leave you, ever, but… one day it's not gonna hurt as much as it does right now." He said as Jude nodded, "Maybe when you're feeling up to it, some counselling or therapy might help." He suggested.

"Yeah, no thanks." Jude shook her head.

"It's just a suggestion." Punk said.

"I don't even think I can face going back to college." Jude sighed, "I'm supposed to go back next week."

"You don't have to. I'm sure if you explained to your teachers, they'd understand." Punk said, "Is there someone you can go to? Like a guidance counsellor or something? To discuss maybe getting some more time off? They could give you some work to do at home."

"Yeah, maybe." Jude nodded, "I've tried to draw and… take my mind off of things but, I can't. Nothing is coming to me." Jude shook her head.

"It'll come back to you when you least expect it." Punk nodded.

"I hope so." Jude nodded, "So what do you think about Cassie wanting to be a cop?" She smiled a little.

"Why is everyone asking me about it?" Punk laughed a little, "She can go and be whatever she wants to be, as long as she's happy."

"This is where if Thea was here, she would suggest being a stripper." Jude said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, of course she would." Punk shook his head, "Always got jokes."

"I think it's because we know you hate cops." Jude said.

"I don't hate cops." Punk scoffed, "I just… I've lived a life where they've always been on the other side. They've never wanted to help me or your mom." Punk said, "And yeah, I… maybe I've held a grudge." He said, "But my whole perspective on them have changed. They've really helped you. Especially Karen." He said.

"She's been so good to me." Jude agreed, "She's badass. She really helped me feel like they were doing everything they could to help me." She nodded.

"To be fair, they were." Punk nodded, "And they helped shut Rio down for good. He's never gonna have connection to the outside world ever again." He said as Jude nodded.

"How'd you feel about that?" Jude smiled.

"Pretty good." Punk said, listening as there was a knock on the door, "I'll get that." He said as Jude nodded.

He got up from the table and headed out of the kitchen, walking down the hallway and opening up the front door where Dominic was standing with James.

"Hey, I thought you weren't coming until later?" Punk shook his head as Dominic walked into the house.

"Thea's just been arrested." Dominic said as Punk raised his eyebrows.


	86. Bad to Worse

**Bad to Worse**

* * *

"What the hell are you talking about?" Punk shook his head, "She was just giving her statement."

"She must have told them it was her." Dominic said.

"Hey, what's going on?" AJ came downstairs whilst Jude came out from the kitchen.

Punk looked over at Dominic, who he could see was panicking and terrified.

"You gotta tell them." Dominic shook his head. They couldn't keep up the lie, not anymore.

"Tell us what?" Jude shook her head.

"Phil, what is going on?" AJ asked sternly as Punk ran his hands through his hair.

"Ok." Punk nodded, "It was Thea." He said, "She killed Jackson. She did it." Punk said as AJ looked at Punk.

"W-What?" Jude shook her head, "H-How? I thought…" She looked over at Dominic.

"What are you talking about?" AJ shook her head.

"When I got back home that night, he was already dead on the kitchen floor." Dominic said as AJ placed her hands over her face.

"And… and what you lied for her?" AJ snapped at Dominic, "Why wouldn't you tell the truth? Now it looks like she's hiding something-"

"April." Punk shook his head.

"It was still self-defence, right?" AJ nodded, "She was still protecting herself-"

"April." Punk said as AJ looked at him, "Jackson never put his hands on her. She… she stabbed him once she found out it was him who… attacked Jude." He said, "I don't know if being a rapist allows anyone to kill you and get away with it." He said truthfully.

"He was a dangerous person, she was still defending herself. She should have told the cops that. No one had to tell any lies!" AJ said angrily.

"She was a mess." Dominic said, "She could barely say anything that night. And it looked better if I had come in and had no choice but to protect her. I didn't want her to get into trouble." He said.

"Well how is that working out for you right now?" AJ spat.

"April, this isn't his fault." Punk made clear.

"She really killed him?" Jude questioned as they turned to her.

"Look, she's in custody right now. I think she'll get out but I don't know what they can charge her with, if they'll charge her…" Dominic panicked, "I don't know what to do."

"Ask Phil. That's sort of his department." AJ said angrily.

"Yeah, ok, April why don't you just go calm down?" Punk batted back as AJ glared at him.

"My daughter is not spending a night in jail." AJ made clear.

"They won't keep her in." Punk said.

"I can't believe she killed him." Jude wandered away in a daze, heading back through to the kitchen, in shock. Something about it felt different than hearing it was Dominic who had killed Jackson. This was her sister, and she could never have imagined her in this type of situation.

"What do I do? Do I call a lawyer?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah, I got a lawyer I can call." Punk nodded, "I'll come with you to the station." He said as Dominic nodded.

"April, can you keep an eye on James?" Dominic asked as AJ nodded, taking the carrier from Dominic where James was asleep in.

"Call me when you find out anything." AJ looked at Punk who nodded, "And God, whatever you do just get her out of there." She shook her head, watching as they quickly left the house.

* * *

"Hey, Karen! What the hell is going on?" Punk asked, running after Karen in the police station to catch up with her after he and Dominic arrived, "Why have you arrested Thea?"

"Mister Brooks, please do not chase after me like that." Karen said as Punk put his hands up in defence, "And also don't take me for a fool. You and I both know what happened that night Jackson showed up at Thea's house."

"Karen, please. You know what kind of person Jackson was. Ok? You're front and centre with this. Don't you think Thea was terrified? He was threatening her, telling her he'd come back and do it again if he wanted to." Punk said.

"Believe me, I know what kind of evil he was and I don't feel one ounce of sadness that he is out of this world." Karen said, "But your daughter not only murdered someone, but lied about it."

"Murder? Is that what we're calling it?" Punk questioned, "Murder is when you plan to kill someone and you go out your way to do it-"

"Mister Brooks are you educating me on the law right now?" Karen folded her arms.

"No, I'm…" Punk paused, making sure he said the right things, "I'm just saying… Thea wasn't in the right mind when she… did what she did. You have to see that." Punk said.

"I do see it." Karen nodded, "I see a girl who wanted to protect her sisters, who wanted to protect herself."

"Right. Exactly." Punk nodded, "Isn't there any way around this? Can't she be released and let it off?"

"Thea will have to stand before a judge. It's out of my hands-"

"You're kidding me, right?" Punk said, "He was a rapist. Who the hell is mad about what she did? I'm glad she did it. I know you are too-"

"You need to calm down or you'll be joining her." Karen made clear, "I know he was a rapist, but a life was still taken at the hands of your daughter. With a good criminal defence lawyer, she should avoid prison time-"

"Oh my God." Punk placed his hands at the back of his head in disbelief, "I can't believe this."

"Mister Brooks I am sorry for what your family have gone through these past few weeks, but this is still my job, and just because I agree with you doesn't mean I can let Thea go and dismiss the whole thing. I don't have power to do that." Karen said as Punk sighed to himself.

"She doesn't deserve this." Punk shook his head, "Just say it was me. Say it was me, I did it. And I'll go to court if that's what it takes-"

"You are speaking to a police detective right now, may I remind you." Karen nodded, "There will be no saying it's you. Thea did this. She's admitted it and she will be trialled on it."

"Yeah well a jury is gonna fucking laugh at this, because it's a joke. It's one big joke." Punk nodded.

"Thea will make bail, and with a good lawyer I don't see her doing any prison time at all." Karen said.

"A good lawyer? I don't know good lawyers. Lawyers don't like me and my family." Punk made clear as Karen looked at him and sighed.

"Here." Karen walked over to the front desk at the station, grabbing a pen and some paper and writing down a number, "This is a number for one of the best criminal defence lawyers in the city. I guarantee Thea will be fine if she has her representing her." Karen nodded, handing him the number.

"You really can't do anything about this?" Punk realised as Karen shook her head.

"No, I can't." Karen said, "I wish I could." She nodded, "And if it helps, I will testify in any way I can to help Thea." She said, "I have a little sister too. I get it." She understood as Punk sighed to himself.

"Can I see her right now?" Punk asked as Karen shook her head.

"Go call her. Her name is Hilary Benson." Karen pointed to the lawyers number, "If you're quick enough, Thea will get out tonight on bail." She nodded as Punk sighed to himself.

"Ok." Punk nodded, watching as Karen walked away, noticing Hamilton standing over at the coffee machine, "Hey!" Punk yelled as Hamilton turned around.

"Uh… before you start, I did everything I could." Hamilton said, "But I can't change the facts. It's out of my hands."

"Yeah, so I keep hearing." Punk said, "She was just protecting herself and… and her sisters. Her family. Why should she be punished for that? One less rapist in the world, I'd say she did us all a favour."

"Politics, right?" Hamilton nodded, "She'll get off on bail and… I doubt she'll do time."

"You don't understand. She is not going to prison for this." Punk made clear. It was a world he knew all too well, and he would die before seeing any of his children go to that place.

"I doubt she will." Hamilton nodded, "But this is what I mean when I say that sometimes we can't do anything about it. Sometimes it's out of our hands." He shook his head, walking away.

Punk took a deep breath, leaning against the front desk as he looked at the number on the piece of paper. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. He desperately wanted to trade places with his daughter. He knew how terrifying this process and holding cells were.

"Hey, did you talk to her?" Dominic ran over to Punk, "Did you speak to Karen? Can she go?"

"No, they're not letting her go." Punk shook his head, "I have a number for a lawyer."

"W-What?" Dominic shook his head, not believing it, "She's getting out, though? And… and we'll figure it out, right?" He said, "They can just say it was self-defence and it'll be taken care of, right?"

"Let's just call this lawyer." Punk nodded to him, trying to stay calm as he saw Dominic's face dropping by the second, "We'll get her out of there tonight." He nodded, but it wasn't so much this part he was concerned about.

Meanwhile Thea was in the stations holding cells, sitting on one of the benches, leaning her head against the wall as she looked around at the other people in amongst her.

She watched in awe as the man across from her continued to bang his head against the wall back and forth, clearly out of his mind. She shook her head and closed her eyes, hoping and praying this wasn't as bad as she believed it to be.

She had no choice but to tell the truth. She couldn't hide it from Karen. She knew the experienced detective could already sense it was her who had done it.

In that moment, sitting in the jail with other troubled and deviant people, she still didn't regret what she did, and she wondered if that made her arrest fair. But then she thought about her son and her husband, and what this meant for their future, and suddenly she was terrified.


	87. Sisters

**Sisters**

* * *

"Castillo! You're out." A police officer opened up the gate to the holding cell as Thea sat up from lying on the bench, "You made bail." He nodded as Thea walked over to the gate, stepping out of the cell.

"He's really gonna hurt himself, you know." Thea nodded over to the guy who was still hitting his head off the wall and had been for the past six hours she'd been in the cell.

"Yeah, he's a regular, don't worry about it." He told her, locking up the cell and escorting her towards the main station.

She was lead out of the swing doors, into the main entrance of the police station, spotting her husband and father standing at the side.

"I can go?" Thea asked the police officer.

"Yeah." He nodded as she turned back around, rushing over to Dominic who eventually spotted her.

"Hey." Dominic sighed with relief, catching her in his arms and holding her tightly.

"Hey." Thea said, trying not to cry, burying her face into his shoulder and holding onto him tightly.

"It's gonna be ok." Dominic kissed her head. He didn't know for sure if it would be, but he couldn't put doubt in her head right now.

"I don't know if it is." Thea said, pulling back from the hug and looking at him, "This is bad, isn't it?" She nodded as Dominic looked at her, "You can say yes." She assured him.

"It's not looking good, no." Dominic said truthfully as Thea nodded. She didn't want assurance. She just wanted the truth. She wanted to know what she was up against.

"We should never have lied. You shouldn't have said it was you. We should have just… told the truth." Thea shook her head.

"It would have been the same outcome." Dominic said, cupping her cheeks.

"I want to go home." Thea said as Dominic nodded.

"We will. We'll go home." Dominic nodded, pecking her lips and hugging her close again as Punk looked over from where he was standing. He knew this dreaded feeling all too well. He felt like he was staring at versions of he and his wife fifteen years ago.

"Hey." Punk said as Thea walked over to him with Dominic, wrapping his arms around her.

"I just want to go home." Thea muffled against her father's shoulder. She didn't want to talk about the unknown, the to be continued or the possibilities. She just wanted to go home and hold her son, lie in her husband's arms and fall asleep.

"You gotta talk to someone first." Punk said as Thea pulled back from the hug.

"Who?" Thea shook her head.

"She's outside." Punk said, heading out of the station as Thea followed, turning to Dominic worriedly who just gave her a nod of reassurance, "Thea, this is Hilary, she is gonna represent you." Punk said, finding Hilary standing outside waiting.

"Hi, Thea." Hilary smiled, shaking Thea's hand.

"Hi." Thea said nervously.

"Don't look so scared." Hilary smiled, "I'm gonna help you." She promised.

* * *

"Oh my God, come here." AJ sighed, practically running to the door as soon as she heard it open, hugging Thea immediately.

"I'm ok." Thea assured her, "I'm fine."

"I know you are but still." AJ held her tightly, kissing her head as Thea selfishly held onto her mother's hug, "You'll get out of this, ok?" AJ pulled back from the hug, placing her hand on Thea's shoulders, "Your… Your dad told me this lawyer is incredible. She's got no criminal defence losses." AJ said, "You're not getting punished for this, do you hear me?" She made clear as Thea nodded.

"I hear you." Thea nodded, "Where is James?" She asked tiredly.

"Jude was changing him upstairs." AJ nodded.

"I wanna see him." Thea said, walking off upstairs as AJ sighed watching her, turning to Punk and Dominic.

"What the hell happens now?" AJ questioned.

"She's gonna meet with Hilary tomorrow morning." Punk nodded, "To go over everything-"

"What are they charging her with?" AJ asked as Punk looked at Dominic, sighing.

"Murder." Punk nodded as AJ raised her eyebrows.

"W-What?" AJ shook her head, "Not manslaughter or… or justifiable homicide?" She questioned.

"No." Punk shook his head, "No, they're going with murder." He said, "They're saying because he hadn't touched her and that she was in no physical danger… it doesn't pass for manslaughter or justifiable homicide."

"He was a rapist!" AJ yelled, "How is that not her being in physical danger?" She spat as Punk nodded.

"I know, well… Hilary is gonna fight them on it, try and get it brought down to justifiable homicide." Punk said, "They got the impression that this was a revenge killing. That Jackson told Thea what he did and… that's why she killed him." Punk nodded, "Which… let's not be discrete about it… that's what happened."

"Oh, and who is really upset about it? Huh? One less rapist in the world. Sounds like a fucking win win to me." AJ spat as Punk nodded to himself.

"Yeah well because there was no trial to convict Jackson as a rapist-"

"What? That means he didn't do it?" AJ questioned, "Huh? He's dead so it doesn't matter? Is that what they're saying?" AJ spat.

"April, calm down." Punk shook his head as Dominic sighed.

"No! No, don't tell me to calm down." AJ hissed, "Thea was protecting herself. And she was protecting her family. She shouldn't… she shouldn't be punished for that."

"I know she shouldn't." Punk said, "Look at me." He said as AJ looked at him, "She'll get off with it. She won't do time-"

"Like you told me you wouldn't do time?" AJ looked up at him.

Of course it was just flooding back memories of the time she watched her husband go to prison. There was no way she was losing her daughter to that. No way in hell.

"I told you from the get go that I was going to prison. I knew I was." Punk reminded her, "I told you, April… I'm not getting out of this." He said as she nodded. Like she could ever forget that day.

"I know." AJ whispered.

"Because I'm always honest with you, and I tell you the truth." Punk said as she nodded, "This lawyer is good. Real good. Thea isn't going anywhere, do you understand me?" He said as AJ nodded.

"When is it gonna end?" AJ whispered as Punk sighed, wrapping his arms around her tightly, watching as Dominic walked past them and headed into the kitchen, feeling just as hopeless and scared.

Meanwhile Thea had made her way upstairs, walking into James' nursery where she saw Jude holding him.

"Suits you." Thea smiled a little as Jude turned around.

"You're back." Jude smiled with relief as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, all good." Thea smiled, walking further into the room as Jude watched her, "He's a good listener, right?" She smiled, looking on at James resting against Jude's chest peacefully. She could see her son was happy and content in his aunts arms.

"Oh, the best." Jude smiled, "He gives the best cuddles and doesn't ask me any complicated questions." She nodded as Thea smiled, caressing the back of James' head, playing with his fuzzy little hair and smiling to herself.

"He been good for you?" Thea asked.

"He's always good." Jude nodded, "Not sure how a little angel like this came from you." She said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, it doesn't really make sense, does it?" Thea nodded in agreement as Jude looked across at her.

Jude walked over to the crib, putting James down carefully as Thea watched with a smile.

"There, you close your eyes." Jude smiled.

"You're good at this." Thea noticed, "You'll be a good mom one day." She nodded.

"Yeah, maybe." Jude nodded, looking across at her, "How bad is it?" She asked quietly, folding her arms as Thea looked across at her.

"Bad." Thea nodded, "Worse than I actually thought." She admitted truthfully, "And hey, maybe that's what I get for being such a fool. Thinking I could do what I did and not… pay for it somehow." She said.

"In my eyes, you never did anything wrong." Jude nodded, "I want you to know that."

"I don't feel like I've done anything wrong." Thea said, "The law thinks differently." She shrugged as Jude nodded.

"So what's the plan?" Jude asked her.

"I have a lawyer. She's supposed to be really good." Thea nodded, "I'm meeting with her tomorrow morning to go over some things." She said, "But… they're charging me with first degree murder."

"What?" Jude shook her head, "They-They can't do that." She said, "You were just protecting yourself and-"

"I don't know if I was." Thea admitted, "I think I was just put in a room with the guy who raped my sister." She nodded as Jude looked across at her.

"Exactly. You were in a room with a rapist. God knows what he could have done or what he was going to do." Jude said.

"Hilary, my lawyer, she's gonna try push for justifiable homicide. I don't really know how it all works to be honest." Thea said, "I guess a jury decides in court if I… if I'm guilty or not." She nodded.

"You don't even seem scared." Jude noticed.

"I am." Thea nodded, "But I don't regret what I did." She shook her head as Jude looked at her, "Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I should feel worse but… I feel like I've done the world a service." She shrugged, "If the jury and judge has any sense of humanity… they'll agree." She nodded.

"You shouldn't have to go through this." Jude shook her head.

"I'm gonna be fine. You don't need to worry about me." Thea assured her.

"Well I am. I… I don't want to lose you." Jude shook her head, "He's already took so much from me, I don't want him to take you too." She said.

"You're not gonna lose me." Thea shook her head, "I just couldn't let him live the rest of his life after what he did to you. I couldn't. I've saw what he's done to you. What he's left you with." Thea said, "The pain he's caused you." She shook her head as Jude stood closer to you.

"I never needed you to kill him, though." Jude whispered, cupping Thea's cheeks, "I'd rather have him out there than lose you. I need you here. I can't get through this without you."

"Sure you can." Thea took her hands from her cheeks, "It's me who always needs people to get through things-"

"Yeah and now it's my turn to need you." Jude nodded.

"I'll be here." Thea assured her, holding her hands.

"You were the only person I could face telling." Jude said, "I need you around." She said as Thea nodded.

"And I'll be here." Thea nodded, watching the tear run down Jude's cheek, "I promise you." She said, cupping Jude's cheeks, wiping her tears, "You're my baby sister and I'm not leaving you. Not when you need me the most." She shook her head.

"I'm gonna hold you to this promise." Jude said as Thea smiled.

"Good." Thea chuckled, tears running down her cheeks, keeping her hands on Jude's cheeks, "You know how much I love to tell you I told you." She smiled as Jude chuckled through her tears.

She knew that she didn't do what she did for anything but her sister. For the pain and hurt she was going through, for the pain that possibly would stay with her forever, for the undeserved attack she suffered at the hands of a monster. A monster that had no place on this earth.

"I love you." Jude nodded as Thea smiled.

"I love you too." Thea nodded, wrapping her arms around her little sister, cupping the back of her head as they both let go of their tears.


	88. Uneasy

**Uneasy**

* * *

"How much time would I be facing if… if the shit hits the fan." Thea shrugged, sitting at her kitchen table with Hilary the next morning with Dominic.

"Thea." Dominic shook his head.

"Look, I gotta know. I'm not going into this blind." Thea said.

"First degree murder?" Hilary questioned as Thea nodded, "Twenty-five to life." She said as Dominic placed his hands over his face.

"Why are we even talking about it? It's not gonna happen." Dominic said as Thea looked at Hilary.

"He's right." Hilary nodded, "There's no way. With the circumstances around the murder. Given this man was a rapist who had just been released from prison. You weren't safe with him anywhere near you. Self-defence doesn't just have to mean… defending yourself from a physical attack." She said, "He came into your home. Your back was already up against the wall. Your son was in the house." She said, "All of these things will help you. Over my dead body will you be given any sentence, never mind a life sentence." Hilary said as Thea just nodded slowly.

"But it… it could happen." Thea thought to herself. It was hard to imagine what that would be like. Spending the majority of her adult life in a prison cell. Not getting to see her son grow up. She couldn't imagine it.

"It won't." Hilary nodded, "I've worked on cases like this before. Girls who have murdered their abusive boyfriends. I get them walking away jail free with some counselling."

"Yeah I'm no stranger to counselling don't worry." Thea nodded.

"My job is to work with you and build a case so that, if it goes to trial, the jury agrees with what you did. Given what has happened, it's not gonna be hard." Hilary said as Thea nodded, "Would your sister be willing to testify?"

"I… I don't know. About what I did?" Thea asked.

"About what Jackson did to her." Hilary said.

"Oh." Thea realised, "I-I don't know if I could ask her to do that." She said, "It would have to be her choice. I wouldn't want her to be uncomfortable." She shook her head, "I know that Karen, the detective for the case, she's willing to testify in my favour and present all the evidence from Jude's case." Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I know Karen." Hilary nodded, "She's a good woman. Great detective." Hilary said as Thea nodded.

"When will the trial be?" Dominic asked.

"Well your arraignment is set for next week." Hilary said, "And if I have it my way, we won't need to go to trial. If I can get a plea-bargain which consists of you completing a counselling program, that's the best case scenario." She said, "You're going into this arraignment with a not guilty plea, because I'm not having them charge you with murder." She said, "Worst case scenario we go to trial and given the heinous acts Jackson committed, the prosecution won't have any choice but to offer you lesser punishment, and I'll be making sure jail time is not in that punishment." Hilary said as Thea nodded.

"You really think they're gonna be easy on me?" Thea questioned.

"Hey… it's me they're dealing with. Not you. I'm the one representing you. All you gotta do for me is tell me absolutely everything about that night, about what Jackson did to you in the past, what he did to your sister and your family." Hilary said, "And I will take care of the rest."

"Ok." Thea nodded. It was all very overwhelming. It was all very scary.

* * *

"Cass, I think my phone is broken." Punk said, walking into the kitchen where Cassie was sitting on her phone listening to music on her headphones, "Cassie." Punk waved his hand to get her attention as she looked up.

"What?" Cassie took her headphones off.

"My phone is broken." Punk said, sitting down at the table and passing his phone to her.

"It's not broken." Cassie shook her head.

"Things keep popping up." Punk said with frustration as Cassie rolled her eyes.

"You just haven't updated your phone, that's all." Cassie said, sliding it back over to him.

"Well…" Punk slid the phone back over to her, "Can you help me update it? I don't know what to do." He said as Cassie sighed.

"Why are you such a dinosaur?" Cassie shook her head, sitting her headphones over and fixing her father's phone.

"Hey, I'm down with the kids." Punk defended as Cassie looked at him.

"Do not ever say that again in my presence." Cassie warned as Punk smiled a little, putting his hands up.

"Then what should I say?" Punk wondered.

"Nothing is good." Cassie nodded.

"Right." Punk said, watching her update his phone, twiddling his thumbs and sighing to himself.

"Dad." Cassie said whilst fixing his phone.

"Mhm?" Punk said.

"Is Thea gonna go to prison?" Cassie asked, not making eye contact with Punk as he looked across at her, "Like you did?"

"No… no, she's not going anywhere." Punk shook his head, "She's… she's in some trouble but she's got a good lawyer. It shouldn't even have to go to trial." He said, "She's gonna be fine."

"I don't think she did anything wrong." Cassie shrugged as Punk nodded.

"Yeah I don't think so either." Punk agreed, "How is your head doing?" He asked, looking at her few stitches on her forehead.

"It's fine. I get them out next week." Cassie said as Punk nodded.

"So… this cop thing…" Punk said as Cassie smiled a little, "You really serious about it?"

"I'm not holding myself to it." Cassie shook her head, "But I think it would be cool."

"It'd be difficult." Punk nodded.

"I know that." Cassie said, "I feel like I should know what I wanna do with my life but I don't." Cassie admitted.

"You're just sixteen." Punk reminded her, "You still got plenty of time to decide on what you wanna do. Thea didn't know she wanted to be a doctor until she was halfway through college." He said, "And Jude is studying art but she's still not sure what she really wants to do with it." He said.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Cassie realised.

"There's no rush to grow up, believe me." Punk nodded, hearing AJ coming home from work, realising she was early, "Hey." Punk called from the kitchen.

"Hey." AJ sighed, walking through to the kitchen.

"You're home early." Punk said. She insisted on going back to work. Although things were very much up in the air with Thea, it wasn't like she could do anything. She thought going to work may have helped distract her, but instead it was all she could think about.

"I got sent home." AJ nodded.

"Why?" Punk asked.

"I just… I can't focus, I can't do anything." AJ shook her head, "I just can't stop thinking about Jude and Thea… I can't eat, it makes me feel sick…" She sighed, "They've put me on extended leave, gracious enough to keep paying me." She said, sitting her purse and coat down.

"Look, you gotta take it easy." Punk nodded, "If you feel like the best place for you to be right now is with Jude and Thea then you do it. You're in a good enough job where you can afford to take a break for a little while. And I think it's justifiable."

"Yeah well I did say I would do any work from home if they sent things to me so… at least there's that." AJ sighed, "My brain just feels like spaghetti right now." She shook her head, "Has Thea called? Has she spoken to Hilary yet?"

"No, she hasn't called yet." Punk said. He knew his wife was just running on complete nerves. Their hearts bled for their daughters, for Jude who was still hibernating in bed, for Thea who was up against something so terrifying.

"She said she would call." AJ said nervously.

"And she will." Punk nodded calmly, "Why don't you go take a shower or take a nap? You look-"

"Terrible?" AJ finished for him.

"No, you look exhausted." Punk said.

"Yeah I'm gonna go shower and try wake myself up more." AJ nodded, "You ok, baby?" AJ asked Cassie, hugging her from behind and kissing her head.

"Yeah, I'm just updating dad's phone." Cassie said, "Because he has no initiative." She smiled across to Punk who gave her a forced smile back.

"Look at you, using big words." Punk nodded as Cassie made a face at him.

"Ok, I'm gonna go shower." AJ sighed, leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs. She felt like everything was just hitting her. The never ending fear. The heartache of watching one of her daughters suffer whilst the other's future was hanging by a thread.

"She doesn't look good." Cassie said, sitting her father's phone over once she'd fixed it.

"She's not sleeping." Punk shook his head, "She's just worried. Worried about Thea. About Jude." He said as Cassie nodded.

"It's gonna be ok, though. Right?" Cassie asked, "I mean I… I thought the hard part was over." She said, of course still young and naïve.

"Well yeah, it is but… there's always the aftermath. The uncertainty with Thea and… worrying about Jude with what she's dealing with…" Punk sighed.

"I think it's gonna be ok." Cassie nodded as Punk looked across at her. Oddly, hearing it from someone else actually did make a difference. He was sick of his own voice in his head telling himself that things would be ok. Hearing it from Cassie helped.

"Yeah?" Punk questioned as Cassie nodded.

"I know my sisters. They don't let other people win." Cassie said as Punk smiled to himself.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Punk smiled, "Hey so if… if you become a cop, can you like erase all my records from the system?"

"You're an idiot." Cassie chuckled, putting her headphones back on as Punk smiled. Cassie had a sense of togetherness and stability that he hadn't come across in someone so young. She was fearless, and hearing her say things would be ok really made him believe it.

Meanwhile AJ had made her way upstairs to take a shower, stopping into the spare bedroom here Jude had been hiding out, knocking on the door and walking in to check on her.

"Yes, I'm still here." Jude nodded, lying in bed watching TV as AJ smiled.

"Just checking." AJ said, "What you watching?" She asked, looking over at the TV.

"Say Yes To The Dress." Jude said.

"Oh, you used to love that." AJ smiled, walking over to the bed, "I remember you used to watch this when you came home from school." She nodded.

"Yeah. It's different people now." Jude said, "I thought you were going to work today?" Jude asked.

"I've decided I'm just gonna take a little bit of time off." AJ nodded, "Work can wait."

"Mom, I don't want you stopping your life for me or for Thea. You've done enough of that over the years." Jude shook her head.

"It's best for me right now." AJ assured her, "Have you ate anything today?" She asked.

"Dad brought me coffee and a bagel earlier." Jude nodded, "We watched Star Wars." She said, "Then I fell asleep." She said as AJ nodded.

"Maybe later you could help me make some dinner? If you're up to it." AJ said. They were very much letter Jude heal and cope with things how she wanted to. AJ knew there was no right or wrong way to heal from something like this.

"Yeah, maybe I'll come down later." Jude nodded, "Has Thea called?"

"No, not yet. I guess Hilary was with her all day." AJ said as Jude nodded, "When she calls I'll fill you in, don't worry." She said as Jude nodded.

"You wanna see something?" Jude asked, reaching down the side of the bed, grabbing her sketch pad up as AJ watched curiously as she opened it up, noticing she had began to draw something.

"Oh, wow." AJ walked over, sitting down on the bed beside her, "When did you start this?"

"So I just woke up at like 3am last night and… I was thinking about that trip to New York and all the cool stuff I saw and… I think I got a little bit of inspiration back." Jude said as AJ smiled.

"Oh, yeah?" AJ smiled so big.

"It didn't stay for very long but… I don't know, I felt like me again. It sounds dumb but-"

"No it doesn't." AJ shook her head, "Baby, this is gonna be a rocky journey of ups and downs." She said.

"Yeah, I know." Jude said, "Kinda waiting for the ups to come along now." She nodded eagerly.

"They'll be coming." AJ assured her, "This is great." She pointed to the sketch pad.

"It felt great." Jude nodded.

"You do what you need to do to get yourself through this, and we'll all just follow behind you. Catch you when you get tired." AJ smiled, tucking a strand of Jude's hair behind her ear as Jude leaned against her hand.

Everything still felt so uneasy, like the roadblocks would never end, but they still had each other and that was enough to get them through.


	89. Doubt

**Doubt**

* * *

"Thea seemed pretty positive when she called earlier." Punk nodded, walking into he and AJ's bedroom where he saw her sitting on the edge of their bed, taking her earrings out, "Hilary is hopeful that there won't even be a trial." He said as AJ nodded.

"It's kinda hard to be optimistic right now." AJ shrugged.

"Yeah, I get it." Punk nodded, "Gotta hold onto something, though." He said as AJ nodded.

"Do you think it's our fault?" AJ asked.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"This. What's happened these last few weeks." AJ said, "I mean this is ties to our younger days. Have we just… brought it into the girls lives? Have we passed it onto them?" She questioned as Punk sighed to himself.

"No, we haven't." Punk shook his head, "And you can't think like that." He said, walking over to her and sitting down beside her.

"I just don't know what to do anymore." AJ shook her head, "Is just being there really enough?" AJ asked.

"I don't know if it's enough but it's all we can do." Punk nodded, "Thea's not going anywhere. I know court. I know what it's like to go in there and know that… you're getting a sentence. That's not Thea. She's not guilty of anything bad." He said, "Given what Jackson had done, and his history with Thea… I mean, he was put in prison for assaulting her. And what did he do the minute he was out of prison?" He said.

"I know." AJ sighed.

"She wasn't safe. None of us were. A judge has gotta see that." Punk said.

"What did Hilary say she could negotiate a plea deal of?" AJ asked.

"Thea would plead guilty to justifiable homicide and she would do community service and complete and counselling program." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Well at least Hilary sounds like she knows what she's doing. Better than any lawyers you had in the past." AJ said.

"Yeah, my lawyer hated me." Punk nodded as AJ smiled a little.

"Well, you gave him a lot of business to be fair." AJ said as Punk nodded, "Can't figure out if I'm doing the right thing by taking a break from work."

"If you can't go and concentrate on what you've to do, you can't be there. I know you. You're running on nerves right now. Work is the last thing you gotta be stressing about." Punk said.

"I asked Jude if she wanted to come help me make dinner tonight and… she never did." AJ said, "She's been in that room all day."

"We gotta let her cope with it in her own way. When she needs us, she'll let us know." Punk nodded.

"My heart breaks every time I look at her." AJ sighed as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Punk said.

"Thea is oddly calm about all of this." AJ said, "Too calm."

"She's scared." Punk nodded, "I can tell." He said, "But I also think she's at peace with what she did." He said, "If Hilary manages to get the plea deal, this will all go away by next week." He said.

"Yeah, well let's hope." AJ nodded, listening as she heard laughter coming from the spare room where Jude had been hibernating in, "What's going on in there?"

"I think Cassie had gone in." Punk said, "I think she's handling all of this the best out of all of us." Punk admitted as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I agree." AJ nodded, "It's nice to hear them laughing." She smiled, hearing her two youngest daughters laughing from the spare bedroom.

"Yeah, it is." Punk smiled.

"I think I'm just gonna rest my eyes for a little bit." AJ nodded, leaning down on her pillow, exhausted to say the least.

"Ok." Punk nodded, standing up from the bed, picking her legs up and placing them on the bed, "You want a blanket?" He asked, crouching down at the side of the bed, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"No, can I just have one of your sweaters?" She asked, her eyes already closed.

"One of my sweaters?" Punk laughed a little.

"Yes, please." AJ nodded.

"Ok." Punk said, a little confused, but nevertheless walking over to his closet and taking a sweater from it, "You wanna wear it?" He asked, walking over to the bed.

"No, just give me it." AJ said, taking the sweater from him, cuddling into it, tucking it under her neck and sprawling it over her top half.

"Ok." Punk said with confusion, leaving the bedroom and walking through to the spare room, opening up the door where he saw Cassie sitting on the bed with Jude, "Hey." He said to them both.

"Hey." Jude nodded.

"I'm going downstairs. You want me to bring you something up?" Punk asked them, "A snack or something?"

"No, we're good." Jude nodded, "You're welcome to join us. We're watching Sex and the City." She said as Punk nodded slowly.

"You know what… I think I might pass on that." Punk nodded as Cassie chuckled.

"Where is mom?" Cassie asked.

"I think she's taking an early night." Punk said, "She's… sleeping with one of my sweaters. You two wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" He asked as Cassie shook her head whilst Jude didn't say anything, "Jude?"

"Yeah, she did that a lot when you were gone." Jude nodded, "She would still buy your deodorant and spray it around the room." She said.

"Did she lose her mind?" Cassie raised a brow as Jude nudged her.

"I never knew that." Punk shook his head as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I guess it still hasn't really left her." Jude said as Punk nodded.

"You sure you guys don't want anything up?" Punk asked out of his thoughts.

"We're fine." Jude nodded to him.

"Ok." Punk smiled to them both, closing the door over as Cassie turned to Jude.

"You never told me our mother was a psychopath." Cassie said as Jude scoffed.

"Hey." Jude said, "She just missed him." She said.

"Yeah I got no recollection of that time." Cassie said.

"Lucky you." Jude nodded.

"Do you think it's gonna happen to Thea?" Cassie asked, "Do you think she's gonna go to prison?" She asked. She could be stubborn and brave in front of her parents, pretend she knew everything would work out, but it didn't stop her from having doubts, and there was no better person to share those doubts with than her sister.

"No, she's not going anywhere." Jude shook her head, "Not with her and Jackson's history and… what he done to me." She nodded, "There's too much in her favour. It's gonna work out." Jude nodded with a smile as Cassie nodded to herself, looking down as Jude stared at her, "What?" She said.

"Do you remember it?" Cassie asked quietly as Jude turned away for a second.

"Some of it." Jude nodded, "It's like… flashes." She said, "I can remember him pulling me up the stairs." She said as Cassie listened, "And grabbing my hair." She nodded. When she said it out loud, she felt it, as if it was still happening to her.

"What about… the actual… you know…"

"I can remember some of it." Jude nodded, "It's not like a clear memory. It's just bits here and there. I think that's because I was drugged." She said as Cassie nodded, "You don't wanna hear this." She shook her head, hesitant to talk to her little sister about this. Her little sister who she was meant to protect.

"Hey, you can talk to me about anything." Cassie nodded, "Just because I'm the little one doesn't mean I can't be of service." She smiled as Jude nodded, "I think it's good if you talk about it."

"It's hard." Jude nodded, "I just hate how I feel like a completely different person." She said, "Like there was the before me and now there's… the after me." She said, "I just feel like a completely different person." She shook her head.

"You're not different to me." Cassie made clear, "I don't look at you any differently. You're still my big sister. You're not your attack." She said as Jude turned to her.

"I don't like how grown up you've gotten." Jude admitted as Cassie chuckled, "I'm serious. Who allowed it?" Jude questioned as Cassie smiled.

"Practically an adult." Cassie nodded, settling under the covers, leaning into Jude who smiled. Comfort and company was important. Her family were incredibly good at understanding the type of comfort she needed. Not the suffocating kind, but just being there at the right moments. She truly didn't know how she would be getting through this without them.

* * *

"Hey, you want me to go put him down?" Dominic asked, walking into he and Thea's bedroom where Thea was lying on top of the bed with James asleep in her arms.

"No, he's ok here." Thea smiled, getting a sense of peace from holding her son at this distressing time, "His cuddles are the best." She said.

"Damn, I really do have competition, don't I?" Dominic said as Thea smiled, watching him walk around the bed, laying down on the bed beside her.

"That was a lot of information to take in today." Thea admitted as Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, it's a lot." Dominic agreed, "She knows what she's doing, though."

"Yeah, she kinda scares me." Thea admitted, "But… I can tell she's really gonna help me."

"Yeah, she means business." Dominic nodded.

"I'm not getting my hopes set on no trial." Thea said, "She can promise me whatever, but… I gotta prepare myself for anything." She said, "The way the world has treated me and my family over the years… I don't know, I just suspect it's gonna be a fight like everything else has." She nodded.

"Good job you never back down from a fight then." Dominic turned to her as she smiled.

"Yeah I think this might be the one time that awful quality could work in my favour." Thea nodded.

"I think it's a good quality." He nodded, taking her hand in his as she smiled.

"I keep getting waves of… what if." Thea said, "I gotta know what I'm up against here."

"Listen to me." Dominic said, "You are not going anywhere. Jackson was a terrible, terrible person. Not human. You did what you had to." He said.

"You reckon a court is gonna agree with that?" Thea questioned.

"If they have sense. Yes." Dominic said, "I mean… the guy was put in prison for beating you up." He said as Thea sighed, "It's a no brainer. You get off with this. You will." Dominic nodded.

"I can't imagine my life without you both." Thea shook her head, placing her hand on James' back, kissing his little head.

"You don't have to." Dominic said.

"I guess it's just there, at the back of my mind." Thea nodded, "I don't know how my dad did it." She shook her head, "And then not to mention he had bratty me to deal with when he got out." She shook her head.

"You are not going to prison, Thea." Dominic said, followed by a knock on their door.

"I should get it." Thea nodded, "Take him." She sat up slowly, passing her sleeping son to Dominic as he watched her leave the bedroom, worried about her doubts.

Thea made her way downstairs, walking towards the front door and opening it up to find Karen standing.

"Hi, Thea." Karen nodded.

"Hey." Thea said.

"Can we talk?" Karen asked.


	90. Goals

**Goals**

* * *

"Hey, what's up?" Thea asked, inviting Karen into the living room.

"I uh… I just wanted to come run something by you. I've already dropped by to see your sister about it and I figured it could be of use to you when you go to court." Karen nodded.

"Go on." Thea nodded.

"Well we were just rounding up the case, tying up all the loose ends and stuff." Karen said, "Just out of precaution I had Jude's DNA testing results ran against the other girls who had recently been… raped." She said, "They came back as a match." She nodded as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"Oh." Thea shook her head, "Really?"

"Yeah. I… I don't know what his thought process was behind it. Maybe leading us to believe that those attacks were someone else could have grouped Jude into that too. His name wouldn't have been anywhere near it." Karen said.

"How many other girls?" Thea asked.

"Two." Karen said, "It's not good news but… in terms of your case and going into court… I mean, we're talking a serial rapist now, who came into your house and backed you up into a corner." She said, "You're not serving punishment for this." She nodded.

"I just can't believe he did it to others." Thea shook her head, "Well… I can believe it but… you know what I mean." She said.

"Yeah, but the intent behind Jude's was definitely different. The two other girls were attacked outside in the street. He had a mask on then." Karen said, "Jude's entire crime scene was completely different. It was thought out." She said as Thea sighed to herself, "He wanted it to be known it was him who did this to her." She nodded.

"It's not fair." Thea shook her head, "Jude and those girls have to live with what he did, for the rest of their lives. I… I can't imagine having that experience with you all the time."

"I know, it's difficult to think about." Karen nodded, "There are support groups and counselling out there if your sister ever needs it. I think it could really help her." She said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, we've suggested a lot of it to her. She's just dealing with in her own way right now." Thea said as Karen nodded.

"When she's ready to work on moving on, she will." Karen said as Thea nodded, "How did you get on with Hilary?"

"Good. She really gave me all the information I need. Kinda overwhelming I guess." Thea said as Karen nodded, "But she's all about business and I feel good with her helping me."

"She's a great defence attorney." Karen assured her, "One of the best I've ever seen." She said, "Any judge is gonna see that you weren't safe. He was put in prison in the first place because he attacked you. That says it all." She said as Thea nodded.

"I'm just not putting my hope on anything just yet." Thea said.

"Well that's understandable." Karen nodded, "I just wanted to drop by and let you know."

"Yeah, thank you." Thea nodded, "I guess maybe that's closure that those others girls needed. They can maybe feel a little more safe."

"Yeah, I think so." Karen said, "I'll see myself out." She nodded, "You take care." She said as Thea nodded, watching her leave the house.

* * *

"Hey, you ok?" Punk asked, heading upstairs to bed when he saw Jude sitting on the bathroom floor.

"Just thinking about those other girls." Jude nodded, watching as he walked into the bathroom, "I felt kinda sick."

"Yeah well that's understandable." Punk nodded, looking across at her as she leaned against the wall beside the toilet, sitting on the floor, "More proof that he was scum of the earth."

"Yeah." Jude agreed, "I hope that they… they feel safer knowing that he's gone." She nodded, "It doesn't change anything but… the fear isn't as bad. I-I thought they feel the same." She said.

"I'm sure it'll make a difference. Give them some sort of closure." Punk said as Jude nodded.

"I just never thought something like this could ever happen to me." Jude shook her head as Punk sat down on the edge of the bath, looking across at her.

"I… I don't think any of us can imagine things like that happening to us." Punk shook his head.

"Every time I close my eyes I just see his face." Jude shook her head, "And I can… I can feel him near me. Like he's gonna do it again." She said, "Him being dead doesn't change a damn thing because the memory of what he did is still living." She said, "And I'm scared it's never gonna leave me. Ever." She said as Punk nodded.

"Would you ever think about maybe going to a support group or some counselling?" Punk asked, "Not right now but when you feel ready to talk about it more." He said, "It could help."

"I don't know." Jude sighed, "I don't know if talking about it with strangers is gonna do anything for me."

"I felt the same when I was having those panic attacks." Punk said, "Yeah, I know that is nothing like what you're dealing with but… when your mom suggested seeing a therapist I thought it was the dumbest thing ever." Punk nodded, "Why would I wanna go talk to some stranger who doesn't know shit about me and what I'm feeling like… right?" He said as Jude nodded, "But that shit helped me." He said truthfully, "It gave me back the control I felt that I'd lost."

"I just feel like if I put it out into the world, it's gonna start taking over me completely, and it's gonna be all that I am and I… I don't want that." Jude shook her head.

"But if you put it out there, it also might help you move on. Accept it in some way." Punk said.

"I don't think I'm ever gonna accept this." Jude shook her head, "And I don't think I have to."

"You don't." Punk shook his head, "But you also gotta know that it doesn't define you. None of us see you any differently." He made clear, "You're still my daughter, I still see you as the same person you were before this happened."

"Yeah, Cassie said that too." Jude nodded, "It matters to me what I think of me, though." She admitted, "And it's great that you guys can see me in a different light but… I'm struggling with myself, to see me without the attack." She said as Punk nodded, "I don't know if that's normal or-"

"I'd say so." Punk nodded, "But you're so much more than that. It's not gonna feel this way forever. One day you're gonna wake up and you'll feel like you again. Or it might not be when you wake up, it might just be a moment where you… take a deep breath and finally feel like you're not shackled to what happened." He said.

"Yeah, I'd like that day to hurry up." Jude sighed, leaning her head back against the wall as Punk smiled.

"It'll come." Punk nodded, "Do you trust me?"

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "Yeah, I trust you." She said as Punk nodded, "I wish I could go back to not remember any of it." She said.

"You remember all of it?" Punk asked her.

"It's like flashes of the night. I don't remember it in full but… certain things just keep replaying in my head." Jude said, "I keep hearing him say something about my tattoo." She said as Punk nodded, "The whole idea of that tattoo was… I got to choose who could see it." She said as Punk nodded.

"And you feel like that's been taken away from you?" Punk asked as she nodded.

"Yeah, that and everything else about my dignity." Jude nodded, "I just still feel like he's… on me." She closed her eyes over and sighed as Punk looked across at her.

He had no experience with this, but he could on some level understand by what she was telling him. He could see her vulnerability and the fact that she no longer felt in control of anything.

"Well he's not." Punk reminded her as she opened her eyes, "He's burning in hell and you're gonna get through this, and live your life to the fullest." He said, "You're gonna finish your college year. And have a good Summer. We'll take a vacation." He said, "We'll catch some Hawks games. Celebrate James' first birthday." He added as Jude smiled to herself, "You wanna know what I learned when I went to therapy?"

"What did you learn?" Jude asked.

"To set yourself small goals, not big ones." Punk said, "I mean, sure, the big ones are great but… the little ones can really help." He said, "So instead of you saying that… you're gonna move on from this one day, you could just say… I'm gonna take a shower tomorrow." He shrugged as Jude laughed a little.

"Taking a shower has become a big task of mine." Jude nodded to herself.

"So set yourself that goal." Punk nodded, "And then when you achieve it, guess what? You get that control back. You get that feeling of doing something good for yourself again." He said as she nodded.

"Shockingly that makes sense." Jude agreed.

"Yeah?" Punk nodded, "And all those little goals will start adding up to bigger ones." He said as she nodded.

"I'm worried about Thea." Jude admitted.

"Yeah, I think we all are." Punk sighed to himself, "But she's got a hell of a good lawyer. And you know your sister, she never backs down from a fight."

"Yeah, trust me. I know that. I grew up with her." Jude rolled her eyes as Punk smiled.

"This guy was a serial rapist. He was dangerous. Like Karen said… Thea wasn't safe with him anywhere near her. No one was safe around him." Punk said, "A judge will hear that and grant Thea the plea deal she's going for."

"I hope so." Jude nodded, "I know mom was terrified. I can see it in her face." She said, "I think it's bringing it all back, when you went to prison."

"Yeah, she's kinda struggling." Punk nodded, "And it takes a lot for your mom to admit to defeat." He said.

"Yeah, I know." Jude nodded, "I think the worst part about this is seeing how much it affects everyone else. Part of me wishes you guys didn't have to know so that it wouldn't hurt you-"

"Don't you ever feel like that." Punk said, "Don't worry about us. We're here to help you with whatever you need. If it's just to talk like this or if it's to come with you to any counselling you might decide to go to." He said, "You're not doing this alone." He said as Jude nodded.

"I'm lucky I have a good family." Jude nodded as Punk smiled.

"You can just say dad, no one else is around." Punk waved his hand as she chuckled. Hearing her laugh right now was important to him.

"I should probably get back into bed or else I'm just gonna stay here all night." Jude shook her head as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, get yourself back into bed. Try and get some sleep." Punk said, standing up from the edge of the bath, extending his hand down to her as she took it and stood up from the floor, "You're one of the strongest people I know." He nodded as she smiled, wrapping her arms around him as he hugged her back tightly, kissing her head.

They left the bathroom eventually where Jude headed back into the spare bedroom to crash whilst Punk headed into his own bedroom, seeing his wife still sleeping on the bed, holding onto his sweater.

He got stripped down to his boxers, getting into bed beside her, trying not to disturb her but waking her up through no fault of her own.

"Huh?" AJ jumped a little.

"It's just me." Punk said softly as she turned to him sleepily, "It's just me." He cupped her cheek softly.

"Oh." AJ realised calmly, curling into him, tucking her head under his chin and nudging him with her nose sweetly as he smiled. Seeing the safety and calmness she felt with him was a good thing, especially right now. All he ever wanted to do was make his girls feel safe and be there for them for everything they needed.


	91. Between Us

**Between Us**

* * *

"Are you ok?" Hilary asked, walking into the waiting room in court where Thea was sitting.

"Yeah." Thea sighed to herself.

"You know I… I sort of thought you'd be more happy." Hilary chuckled a little, sitting down next to Thea, putting her folders down next to her.

"No, I am." Thea nodded to her, "My sister's pain doesn't stop, though. She's the one I'm thinking about." She shrugged as Hilary nodded.

"She's a brave girl." Hilary nodded, "You both are." She said, "It's a pity you and I didn't get to spend more time with each other but… I assume you're a little happy about that."

"Yeah, sorry." Thea smiled a little.

"I forgive you." Hilary smiled, "Where's your husband?"

"He's out calling my parents right now to let them know how it went." Thea nodded, "I guess it's one less thing for them to worry about. Now they can really focus on Jude instead of worrying about… stupid me." She shook her head as Hilary frowned.

"I don't think you're stupid." Hilary said, "I think you're tough. You have morals and you love your sister. If that's what we start punishing people for then… I don't know what's going on with the world." She shrugged.

"I keep having nightmares about it. Me killing him." Thea said, "Just because I don't regret doesn't mean I don't remember how… wrong it felt to stab someone." She rolled her eyes, "I'm not that cold."

"That'll probably stay with you for a while. You're in shock." Hilary said, "But the counselling you have will help." She nodded.

"Yeah." Thea said, "Thank you for this. You're badass."

"I told you not to worry." Hilary smiled, "I know a good one when I see them." She nudged her as Thea smiled, "And tell your sister thank you for the written statement she sent me."

"What?" Thea turned to her.

"Yeah, she sent me a written letter for me to give to the judge." Hilary said, "You two must be very close." She nodded.

"Yeah, well… sisters." Thea nodded as Hilary smiled, "I didn't know she gave you anything."

"She dropped it off to me last night." Hilary said as Thea nodded, "You both look very alike." She said.

"You think?" Thea asked.

"Oh, yeah." Hilary nodded, "So… celebration tonight?" She smiled.

"More like going home and crashing in my bed." Thea said as Hilary nodded, "We gotta pick up James from my parents' house first. I'm sure they will be celebrating." She said, "First one in the family to go to court and not get sentenced to anything. It's a big deal." She said as Hilary smiled.

"I like you, Thea." Hilary nodded, patting her on the shoulder, "You go be with your family." She stood up as Thea smiled.

"Thank you." Thea nodded, watching as the woman walked off down the court house.

She sat for a little while on her own just letting it sink in. It all happened so fast. To be free to go, with no follow up trial and no more worrying was a blessing. She just wished her sister could have gotten this type of solution, but that was just it, she couldn't. Her problems, her troubles were with her from now on. There was no judge to free her mind of what Jackson had done to her.

"Hey." Dominic appeared back into the waiting room as Thea looked up, "You ready to go?" He smiled. Relief was an understatement. He couldn't put into words how grateful he was that his wife didn't have to be tried, and that they could go home with their son with their future still intact.

"Yeah." Thea smiled, standing up, "Did you call my parents?"

"Yeah, I got a hold of your dad. I think they're pretty relieved." Dominic nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as she smiled, leaving the court house after a long morning and afternoon.

* * *

Thea and Dominic eventually arrived at AJ and Punk's house where Thea was immediately squeezed by her parents with relief. Relief that this didn't have to get any worse than it already was.

"So uh… what happened?" AJ asked, drying her tears, not being able to help it. She was so overwhelmed with relief for Thea knowing she didn't have to go through anymore unnecessary worrying.

"It was pretty quick. Quicker than I thought." Thea nodded, sitting in the living room, "I had to identify myself and they read out my rights, my charges, everything like that and then Hilary sort of took over. I think given that this was a serial rapist, and my own history with Jackson." She said, "There was a lot in my favour and Hilary did amazing." She nodded.

"You seem really calm." Punk noticed as Thea nodded.

"Yeah I think it might hit me later." Thea said.

"You'll still be in shock." AJ nodded, rubbing Thea's arm softly.

"So what's your deal?" Punk asked.

"I have to start a twelve week counselling program starting on Monday." Thea said, "That's it." She nodded, "And Hilary made sure that my job doesn't get affected by… all of this."

"Good. Oh, thank God." AJ sighed to herself, "I never slept last night. I couldn't stop thinking about it." She said as Thea nodded, watching as Jude walked into the living room.

"Hey." Thea smiled, standing up and wrapping her arms around her sister.

"I heard you're not in too much trouble." Jude said, hugging her back as Thea smiled.

"I think I'm gonna be ok." Thea said, hugging her tightly, "I told you so." She whispered as Jude smiled to herself, hugging her sister tightly.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" AJ turned to Dominic who nodded, "There's plenty there." She said.

"Sure." Dominic smiled, "T? Dinner here?" He asked as Thea turned around.

"Yeah, sure." Thea smiled, keeping her arm around her sister, "If there's enough room." She nodded.

"There's always enough room for you here." AJ smiled.

* * *

Dominic and Thea stayed for dinner. Sean had even come around to join them which gave Jude a little more energy than her usual standard. It meant there was a full house, the first since Christmas before everything went wrong. Things still felt uneasy and in some ways, wrong, but there was definitely positives to focus on. AJ and Punk were just so grateful to be sat at the table with their daughters, safe under their roof.

"Hey, mom made pie. You don't normally miss out on that." Jude said, walking into the living room where Thea was.

"Maybe she'll let me take some home. I'm stuffed from dinner." Thea admitted as Jude nodded, sitting down next to her on the couch.

"Yeah, I am too." Jude nodded, "Sean is having seconds." She shook her head as Thea smiled.

"I'm glad he's been here for you." Thea said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, he must actually like me." Jude nodded, "I didn't think he'd stick around."

"Why do you say it like that?" Thea asked.

"Like what?" Jude shook her head.

"Like it'd be impossible for a guy to like you?" Thea questioned as Jude shrugged.

"Just… with everything that happened. All the baggage and-"

"It's not baggage, Jude." Thea shook her head, "Being there for each other is all relationships are." She said, "And what happened to you doesn't make you any less worthy of love or… someone caring about you." She said, "Please don't think that."

"Yeah, I know." Jude nodded, "Setting myself little goals every day to make myself feel better."

"Oh, yeah?" Thea smiled.

"Yeah. Dad's idea, actually. You know for someone who has made a ton of mistakes in his life, he's pretty wise." Jude said as Thea smiled.

"Yeah, he's ok." Thea teased as Jude smiled, "So what was the goal for today?"

"Wash my hair." Jude nodded as Thea nodded slowly, "I know, right? I should be reaching for the stars." She scoffed.

"No, you should be working on yourself and… doing what you can. Taking advantage of the times you feel good and… making sure to give yourself the time when you don't feel so good." Thea nodded, "Nice and shiny." She patted Jude's hair as Jude nodded.

"I also told myself I would spend more than two hours out of bed and… I have." Jude smiled as Thea nodded.

"You're doing good." Thea smiled, patting her on the leg.

"Considering joining a support group." Jude said, "I figure it might not make me feel so alone."

"I think that's a good idea." Thea nodded, "Meeting people who have experience with what you're going through is bound to help, even just a little." She said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I think so." Jude said, "Sean is gonna come with me." She said as Thea smiled.

"I'm glad you're taking these big steps." Thea nodded.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't want to do it." Jude chuckled a little, "But if I stay in my bed, and I don't talk to anyone, it's bound to just get worse, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Thea nodded, "You don't wanna isolate yourself from everything."

"I know." Jude said, "I'm just nervous to put it out there. To speak about it so openly." She said, "Cause it still feels like it's happening. Every day I wake up and it feels just as fresh as the morning I woke up after it happened. It's like I'm reliving that day over and over again." She said, "Like what's that film we went to see a couple years ago at the movies? Dad fell asleep. We put popcorn up his nose."

"Oh, Happy Death Day?" Thea remembered.

"Yeah." Jude chuckled a little, "Yeah, Happy Death Day." She scoffed, "Fitting title."

"It's gonna get better. I know you're probably sick to death of people saying that to you, but it will." Thea said, "There will be a moment where you take a deep breath and you realise that… you are not what happened to you. You're so much more. And what happened to you is one day, just gonna be a reminder of how far you came." She said.

"Yeah dad said a similar thing." Jude nodded, "You know… I didn't really see it until now but you two are really alike." She said.

"You think?" Thea wondered.

"Yeah." Jude nodded as Thea smiled.

"You know… eight years ago I would have slapped you for saying that." Thea said.

"Oh, I know." Jude chuckled, "And now?"

"I'll take it as a compliment." Thea smiled sweetly.

"I think you should." Jude nodded.

"I uh… I never knew you were gonna give a written statement to Hilary." Thea said.

"Oh, yeah… well I figured if it helped you out." Jude said, "I think it was important the judge heard what I had to say."

"Yeah, I think so too." Thea said as Jude looked at her, "I read the statement." She nodded.

"You weren't supposed to." Jude said truthfully.

"Hilary gave me it as I was leaving the court house." Thea said, remembering every word of the raw and very upsetting, yet real and important statement her sister had written for the judge.

"Yeah well… it kinda helped me, writing it down on paper." Jude nodded.

"I didn't know you remembered so much from that night." Thea shook her head. She wouldn't forget the things her sister had put on the statement, the things she remembered from that night.

"Yeah, it's all there. It's not one big collective memory but… I can remember it in dribs and drabs." Jude said, "I uh… I don't really want anyone else to read it… I just wanted to make sure that the judge knew what kind of person he was, and why you did what you did." She said as Thea nodded.

"Between us?" Thea asked, holding her pinkie out as Jude nodded.

"Between us." Jude nodded, wrapping her pinkie around hers, hugging into her as Thea smiled.

"Hey, mom said you've both to come get pie." Cassie said, walking into the living room.

"Well if it isn't Officer Brooks." Thea smiled as Jude chuckled.

"I wish I never told you." Cassie huffed, folding her arms.

"Get over here." Thea smiled, tugging on Cassie's hand, pulling her over onto the couch beside her as Cassie joined in on the much needed hug with her sisters.


	92. The Moment

**The Moment**

* * *

_6 months later…_

"Dad, I'm having a disaster!" Thea yelled from the kitchen as she heard her father come in the door.

"What's wrong?" Punk asked, walking through to her kitchen.

"They sent me the wrong birthday cake for James." Thea said, "Look." She opened up the white box sitting on the kitchen table.

"Hey, it's a monkey." Punk smiled, "Aww." He smiled, turning to Thea who was glaring at him, "What? That seems pretty first birthday esque to me." He said.

"No, no no… I ordered a white sponge, yellow icing with a giraffe." Thea said, "Because he loves giraffes." She said as Punk looked at her.

"You do know he isn't gonna remember this, right?" Punk nodded.

"Yes, I do know that, but I'll remember it." Thea said, "I have two days to get this changed for the one I ordered. I'm gonna need your big bad mean voice for this-"

"Oh, because you don't have one of them anyway?" Punk scoffed, "Thea, the cake looks fine. The monkey is cute."

"James likes giraffes so his birthday cake will have giraffes on it." Thea made clear.

"Ok, well I picked up the catering for you. It's in the car so I'm gonna start bringing it in. You made room in your fridge?" Punk asked, watching her dialling a number on her phone, "Thea." Punk hummed, getting her attention.

"Yes, what?" Thea looked up.

"You made room in your fridge for the food?" Punk asked, walking over to the fridge, which was full and had no space, "Thea, I told you to-"

"Shh, I'm on the phone!" Thea hissed, holding her phone to her ear as Punk rolled his eyes, beginning to rearrange her fridge so he could fit in the party food he had picked up, "Hi, I would like to speak to whoever is in charge of your store." Thea said as Punk rolled his eyes, "Yes, I ordered a cake for Castillo. I picked it up this morning, drove all the way into town, it's raining by the way…" Thea said as Punk turned around and looked at her, "I get home and there is a monkey on the cake. I ordered a giraffe."

"You're insane." Punk whispered, walking out of the kitchen and heading outside to collect the things for James' first birthday party in a couple of days.

It warmed his heart to see his daughter planning her son's first birthday party. It brought him back to when he and AJ were younger, many moons ago, when they planned the girls birthday part. He could see Thea took the trait of wanting everything to be perfect from her mother.

The past six months had definitely been challenging for all of them, Jude in particular obviously. She had stayed at Punk and AJ's house for a month before moving back in with Kirsty. She had set backs. She went back to college too soon, she suffered panic attacks when she left the house, she found it hard to sleep at night, she'd broke down and picked herself up countless times. Nothing had really changed. Nothing had been fixed. And that was ok. One thing she had learned was that it was a process.

Thea had returned to full-time work again, picking up twelve hour shifts at the ER, channelling he everything into her job and home life with her son. She too had her struggles, her down moments, her flashbacks to all that happened, but she was getting by.

"Dad." Thea called, walking outside with the birthday cake as he looked up from the trunk.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"I'm taking this cake back to get exchanged for the giraffe one." Thea said, "Would you be a life saver and call the face painter, tell him to come at 1pm instead of 2?" She said.

"You got a face painter?" Punk shook his head.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "Why? Is that too much?"

"Well ninety five percent of the people at this party are above the age of 20." Punk reminded her.

"Yeah? And?" Thea scoffed, putting the cake into the trunk of her own car, looking over at him, "Do you think I'm being too crazy with this?" She asked him as he looked across at her, "I just… I want it all to be perfect. I know he won't remember it but I will and… it's his first birthday." She shrugged, "I went into this year not even knowing if I would see him on his first birthday." She said, "I just want it to be special." She shrugged as Punk smiled.

"I know you do." Punk smiled, "I think it's gonna be great. I'll take care of the face painter and I'll start blowing up the balloons." He said as she nodded.

"Oh, have you heard from Jude today? I text her this morning but I got nothing back." Thea said.

"No, well she said she was doing the hike today, wasn't she?" Punk said.

"Oh, yeah." Thea nodded, "I hope she's having fun." She said as Punk nodded.

"She sounds like she is." Punk smiled as Thea nodded.

"Ok, I'm gonna go kick some bakers asses." Thea said as Punk chuckled.

"Have fun." Punk nodded, watching her get into her car and drive off, smiling to himself as he headed back into her house.

* * *

"My legs are gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow." Jude nodded, holding onto the straps of her backpack, heading uphill as Sean joined beside her.

"Yeah, maybe not best idea to do this during peak Summer either." Sean laughed a little as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Jude shook her head, wiping her sweaty forehead, "I swear I've lost half my weight in sweat." She said as Sean smiled, "You should be used to stuff like this, shouldn't you? Don't you have to do stuff like this if you wanna be a cop?" Jude asked him, minding her steps as they walked up the rocky pathway.

"You know, hiking the Grand Canyon isn't really part of cop training." He chuckled a little as she shoved him.

"Jerk." Jude shook her head as he smiled, "Let's just pretend to Cassie it is."

"She still wants to be a cop?" Sean asked.

"She's still talking about it, yeah." Jude nodded, "And my parents are behind her. I think it'd be badass."

"Well I could definitely help her out." Sean said as Jude nodded.

"She's still young, though. She might end up doing something completely different. I swore she was just gonna be a soccer player her entire life. She was that good." Jude nodded.

"Why'd she give it up?" Sean asked.

"I don't know, I guess she got sick of it. Too much of something can make you fall out of love, I guess." Jude said.

"I disagree." Sean turned to her with a smile.

"I'm too sweaty to hit you back with something charming." Jude shook her head as Sean chuckled.

"I think we're almost there." Sean nodded, looking ahead uphill as Jude nodded.

"Yeah and then we gotta make our way back down." Jude chuckled.

"It's always better downhill." Sean nodded.

"Yeah, sometimes." Jude nodded, "So I was texting Thea last night, she told me she's got a face painter for James' birthday."

"He's one." Sean chuckled.

"Yeah, I think she wants it to be like the parties we used to have." Jude said, "Mom and dad always did our birthday parties big."

"I'm gonna get bullied into getting my face painted, aren't I?" Sean scoffed as Jude smiled, linking her arm through his.

"I'll do it if you do it." Jude smiled.

"That's a very dangerous phrase, you know." Sean said as Jude chuckled, "Which you've been using a lot lately."

"Well it's always better doing things with other people, right?" Jude shrugged.

"Yeah, it is." Sean agreed.

There were times she seriously doubted her self-worth over the past six months. Times she wondered why her boyfriend was even sticking around, wondering why he'd want to spend time with her after what happened, but then she started to realise he wanted to spend time with her for her. That her attack wasn't anything to do with how he saw her. It was taking a while for her to realise that, but with the help of her family and friends, and therapy, she was getting there, slowly but surely.

They had taken a weekend trip away together for the first time. It was a result of the small goals Jude was setting herself, turning into bigger goals. Goals like wanting to hike the Grand Canyon. Getting to share it with someone she was in love with was even better.

"I think… we made it." Sean said, starting to notice the ground was levelling out, reaching the top and walking over closer to the edge as Jude looked out into the open.

"Wow." Jude raised her eyebrows, looking out at the view, sitting her backpack down for a second.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Sean nodded, looking out at the rocky, dessert view, the sun shining bright over them with nothing but blue skies.

"It's beautiful." Jude nodded, slightly taken back by the view right in front of her eyes, right there in front of her. It wasn't something that a kid from Chicago was used to.

"You ok?" Sean turned to her as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, it's amazing." Jude shook her head. As she reached those bigger goals she was setting herself, she was reminded of where she started. Washing her hair and aiming to get out of bed. Looking out onto the view in front of her was a reflection of how far she'd come.

"You sure you're ok?" Sean watched her as she stared out at the view.

"I am ok." Jude turned to him, really feeling it within her for the first time, "I'm ok." She nodded to herself. A moment of realising she was going to keep living her life, and maybe sometimes it would be difficult, but she was stronger for it.

"I'm ok." She whispered to herself with a smile, taking a deep breath as she looked out at the view.

* * *

"God, I'm gonna end up with my face painted, aren't I?" AJ chuckled, walking into the living room as Punk smiled.

"If I have to then you do too." Punk said as she smiled, sitting down beside him on the couch comfortably. She too had returned to work after some well needed time off to be there for her daughter.

"Did Thea get the cake sorted?" AJ asked him.

"I think so. I thought the monkey was fine." Punk shrugged.

"I told you both, she's high-maintenance." Cassie said, sitting over on the other couch, playing on her phone.

"She just wants it to be special." Punk said, "This is James' first birthday." He said, "I think she's trying to outdo us with the parties." Punk nodded to AJ.

"You think?" AJ wondered, "Maybe it's time we pass on our best party planners throne to her." She shrugged.

"She's never outdoing us." Punk scoffed competitively as AJ smiled.

"I think I heard your phone bleeping out in the kitchen." AJ told him.

"Oh, it might be Jude." Punk said, getting up from the couch, heading through to the kitchen and picking his phone up, noticing he had a message from Jude, making his way back into the living room.

"Is it her?" AJ asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, sitting back down on the couch, opening up the message which had a picture attached to it.

"So I think I had '_the_' moment." AJ read the message, looking on at the picture of Jude standing with the view behind her.

Punk smiled to himself so big as he saw how happy his daughter looked.

"She looks so happy." AJ said, "What's the moment?" She asked, leaning her head against Punk's arm, staring at the picture with a never ending smile.

"Just… something we talked about." Punk smiled to himself, "Looks like she's having a good time."

* * *

**A/N: Two more chapters to go! Don't miss them.**


	93. Birthday Party

**Birthday Party**

* * *

"I'm so glad you had a good time." Thea smiled, hugging Jude tightly in the centre of her kitchen, "All the pictures looked insane."

"It was amazing." Jude nodded, "We stayed up until the sun was setting. It was so beautiful." She shook her head.

"I bet your legs are hurting so bad." Thea smiled.

"Oh, you have no idea. When I got up to get off the plane when we landed last night, I literally couldn't walk." Jude shook her head, "Think I gotta join a gym or something."

"Yeah, please take me with you." Thea scoffed, "Look at his cake." She waved Jude over, opening up the white box as Jude looked on at the cake.

"Oh, how sweet." Jude smiled, "I heard about the monkey dilemma." She nodded.

"Yeah, looking back at it now it's kinda funny but… I wasn't settling until I got the giraffe." Thea said as Jude smiled.

"T, we got any napkins in here?" Dominic walked into the kitchen as Jude and Thea looked at him.

"Nice face paint, dude." Jude nodded.

"You like it?" Dominic asked.

"You look like an idiot." Thea said, looking at her husband's lion painted face, "I love t." She smiled as Dominic nodded.

"You're up next." Dominic said as she smiled, handing him over napkins.

The party was in full swing with family and friends coming by to celebrate James' first birthday. Thea and Dominic had decorated the entire house, put out some amazing party food and drinks and made sure their son was the centre of attention.

"Make sure if you give James any food that it's cooled down." Thea nodded to Dominic.

"Yeah yeah." Dominic nodded, walking back out of the kitchen as she smiled.

"So how was the hotel you were staying at? Nice?" Thea asked Jude, sticking some candles in the cake to prep it for bringing it out.

"Oh, it was amazing." Jude nodded, "The room was massive and we had such a nice view from our window." She said, "It felt so good when I reached the top of the Canyon."

"Yeah?" Thea smiled, "I bet." She said.

"Like I could start breathing again." Jude admitted as Thea looked across at her, "Like so many weights had been lifted from my shoulders." She nodded, "I called Stacy once we got back down, told her all about it." She said, referring to the therapist she had been seeing for months.

"What'd she say? I bet she loved it." Thea smiled.

"I thought she was gonna start crying." Jude chuckled as Thea smiled, "She was real happy." She nodded, "I think because I had been talking about it for long. The first session I had with her I was like… I wanna hike the Grand Canyon." She said, "Back then it felt impossible. Impossible that I'd find the strength or the enjoyment to do it." She said.

"And you did it." Thea smiled as Jude nodded.

"And I just finished up this year of college, thank you very much." Jude smiled. She was beginning to feel proud of herself again, proud of all the small, medium and large goals she was giving herself. Reaching them brought back her confidence. They made her feel like herself again after so long of feeling empty and nothing.

"So you're done for Summer now?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, all done." Jude said. She'd managed to still finish her college year, even with all the time she lost at the beginning. She had a great support system at college, and Kirsty was a huge help to her in picking up on all the things she'd missed.

"Now you can chill out and relax." Thea smiled.

"Yeah, well I'm working on some of my own projects so now I can really focus on them." Jude said. Through her recovery and therapy, she'd also found her passions again. It was an emotional rollercoaster, but she really felt like she was finding herself again, after all this time.

"Paintings or?" Thea asked.

"You know I don't create and tell until I'm done." Jude smirked as Thea rolled her eyes.

"Alright, Picasso." Thea nodded as Jude chuckled.

"Hey, you wanna do the cake now?" Dominic walked back into the kitchen as Thea chuckled.

"I'm sorry, I just can't take you seriously when you look like that." Thea laughed to herself as Jude smiled.

"Hey Dom, I think you look good." Jude nodded.

"Thanks, Jude." Dominic nodded proudly as Thea just chuckled to herself.

"I'm gonna go speak to other people, I guess." Jude said, leaving the kitchen as Dominic walked over to Thea.

"Hey, do me a favour." Thea said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"What's that?" Dominic asked.

"Just… don't wash that face paint off until… I say." She smirked, running her hands down his chest as he chuckled.

"You're insane." Dominic nodded as she smiled.

"Ok, let's light this bad boy up." Thea clapped, grabbing the lighter and lighting the candles on the birthday cake.

Dominic picked up the lit cake as Thea walked on into the living room where everyone was. James was sat on Jude's lap on the couch, loving all the attention of course. They began singing happy birthday as Thea watched Dominic hold the cake out for James to see.

She wasn't a particularly emotional person, but for some reason she was getting choked up, trying not to let anyone see as she placed her hands over her mouth, watching as James smiled excitedly.

"Ok, you gonna blow them out?" Dominic asked, crouched down in front of James.

"Will I help?" Jude asked, looking down at James who looked up at her, "Will we blow them out together?" She asked her nephew who laughed at her, causing Jude to smile.

"Someone blow them out." Dean scoffed as Punk and AJ both elbowed him in the gut simultaneously standing on either side.

"Ok. 1… 2… 3…" Jude said, leaning over with James and blowing the candles out as James watched with fascination, enjoying everyone watching him and cheering, "Look, it's a giraffe. Your favourite." She smiled as Thea watched tearfully.

"Hey, you ok?" AJ noticed Thea, "What's wrong?"

"Oh… nothing." Thea waved her hand, catching the tears from her watery eyes, "It's just… it's nice." She smiled as AJ nodded, rubbing her arm.

"It is." AJ smiled, "He's in his element." AJ nodded, watching her grandson playing with Jude.

"He is." Thea nodded, "He'll definitely sleep tonight." She said as AJ nodded, "He's growing up so fast." She shook her head, watching her son.

"How do you think I feel?" AJ said as Thea smiled, "You got forever with him." She said as Thea nodded.

"T, you wanna come help me cut this?" Dominic asked.

"Sure." Thea nodded, leaving the living room with Dominic to go cut up some of the cake, "I was thinking we could just give everyone a little bit right now and then give everyone tons to take home with them. Otherwise I'll just keep eating." She shook her head.

"Hey, are you ok?" Dominic asked, noticing her eyes were teary.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Thea assured him.

"You crying?" He asked.

"Yes." Thea said, "Yes I am." She nodded as Dominic raised his eyebrows. He knew his wife wasn't a crier.

"What's wrong?" Dominic asked her, placing his hand on her arm.

"Nothing's wrong. I think that's the whole point." Thea realised, "It's perfect. And he's so happy in there. He's got… a family who loves him." She nodded, "He's got us. We like each other, don't we?" She teased as Dominic smiled.

"Yeah, you're ok." Dominic teased as she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I love you." He said as she smiled.

"I love you too." Thea nodded, feeling his arms around her waist, going further down to her ass which caused her to grin.

"Dad is in the room." Punk walked into the kitchen as Dominic backed up, pushing Thea away a little as she chuckled, "Nice face paint." Punk nodded to Dominic.

"Yeah, why the hell is no one else getting theirs done? I feel like an idiot." Dominic said.

"It's a little late to feel like an idiot, baby." Thea nodded.

"Dean is getting his done right now." Punk nodded.

"I gotta see this." Dominic chuckled, walking out of the kitchen as Thea shook her head.

"Make yourself useful and help me cut this cake up." Thea said, passing Punk a knife as he took it from her.

"You been crying?" Punk teased a little.

"Mom talks too much in her old age." Thea scoffed.

"I wouldn't say the phrase old age around her. She'll pounce on you and you know it." Punk said, "It's normal. It's your kid's first birthday." He said.

"Yeah and I… I don't know, I think seeing Jude so happy too kinda got to me." Thea said, "She seems so peaceful. And look, I know she's not forgot about it all and everything is gonna be fine now. I get that. It's gonna be up and down. But she's… damn she's strong." Thea said.

"Yeah she is." Punk agreed, "You all are." He nodded to her as she smiled, nudging him as he nudged her back.

"Don't you think you're getting out of getting your face painted." Thea said.

"Hey, didn't I suffer enough when you and your sisters were little girls?" Punk asked.

"No, I want pictures and I want James to know his fun papa Punk got his face painted at his first birthday party." Thea smiled.

"I am fun papa Punk." Punk nodded proudly as she smiled.

* * *

"You look like an idiot." Jude nodded, sitting on the couch eating a piece of cake as Punk sat down beside her, half of his face painted like a butterfly.

"I think it's cute." Punk shrugged.

"Yeah for a five year old little girl, maybe." Jude nodded, "This is starting to look more like an insane asylum than a first birthday party. Look, even Sean has been captured." She said, looking over at her boyfriend getting his face painted.

"Hey he wanted it done voluntarily." Punk said as Jude just chuckled.

"It's crazy he's one." Jude shook her head, looking over at James who was playing with AJ, Cassie and Thea on the couch.

"I know. It's been a… quick year." Punk nodded.

"Yeah? Doesn't feel like it really." Jude said.

"They'll start getting quicker, trust me." Punk nodded, "So would you recommend the Grand Canyon."

"Yeah but you'd never make it up there." Jude laughed to herself.

"Excuse me?" Punk smiled.

"What? You're out of breath just going upstairs." Jude said.

"No I'm not." Punk defended, "I'd be an excellent hiker." He said as Jude just smiled.

"You'd like the view for sure. If you spent eight years locked in a prison cell, it's probably something you might wanna see." Jude nodded, "It was amazing."

"And you had the moment?" Punk asked as Jude nodded.

"Yeah. When you were talking about it months ago I don't think I knew what you meant. I guess back then I didn't see myself coming this far." Jude said, "But when I got up to the top and I looked out it was just… I just felt something different. I felt like me again." She nodded to him as he smiled, "And I know that… it's not gonna go away. It's gonna come and go. I'll have shitty days where it's all I think about but… I'm also gonna have really good ones." She nodded to herself positively as Punk smiled.

"Yeah, you are." Punk nodded, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her head. His daughter was a warrior, and she inspired him every day. He truly believed he wouldn't be the man he was today without his girls and all they taught him.


	94. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

_Two years later…_

"She's so beautiful." AJ smiled proudly, holding her newborn granddaughter in her arms, "She looks just like you, Thea." AJ said in awe, looking over at Thea who was sat up in the hospital bed.

"Dominic said the same." Thea smiled tiredly.

"What's her name?" Punk asked, looking over AJ's shoulder at his newest and second grandbaby.

"Sofia." Thea smiled.

"Oh, I love it." AJ smiled, "Hi, Sofia." She whispered, stroking the baby girls cheek softly, "Have you called Jude?"

"Yeah, she was wrapping up a class and then she was gonna come straight to see her." Thea said.

"Where are Dominic and James?" Punk asked, still staring at baby Sofia in AJ's arms, not being able to take her eyes from her. She was so perfect and beautiful.

"Dominic took James to get a drink in the café. He was getting kinda restless up here." Thea said.

"How is he with her?" AJ asked.

"He's really good." Thea smiled, "He sat up there and Dominic helped him hold her. He was all proud of himself." She nodded.

"I knew he'd be good with her." Punk nodded.

"How you feeling?" AJ asked Thea.

"Oh, you know…" Thea groaned a little, "I've felt better." She said as AJ nodded, "But she's so perfect, it's all good." She smiled happily.

"She really is." AJ smiled.

"Punk!" Three year old James yelled as he burst through the room door, noticing his favourite grandparents had come to visit.

"Hey, sport!" Punk smiled excitedly, lifting James up as he came running to him. James was definitely the son he never had in all aspects.

"That's my sister." James pointed to Sofia in AJ's arms.

"So I hear." Punk nodded, "She's pretty cute, huh?" Punk asked him as James nodded.

"A little cute." James nodded to himself as Punk smiled.

"Hey, you're a big brother now." AJ said, "That's so cool." She said.

"It is." James agreed, "Her name is Sofia." He told AJ who smiled and nodded.

"Such a pretty name." AJ said. Their grandson definitely had his own little unique personality. He was a ball of energy, and a part of him reminded her of Thea when she was that age. All her mischievousness and energy she had.

"James, did you get something to drink with daddy?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, mommy. I had water." James said.

"Good boy." Thea smiled.

"Hey now you gotta help mommy look after Sofia." Punk said to James who he was still holding up in his arms, "Gotta help her feed her and change her."

"Not all the time." James said as Thea and Dominic chuckled.

"We won't work you too hard, baby. Don't you worry." Thea smiled to him.

"When you getting out of here then?" AJ asked Thea.

"Tomorrow." Thea nodded, "The doctor is happy with everything." She said, "I'd leave tonight if I could." She rolled her eyes.

"We know." Dominic chuckled, tucking his wife's hair behind her ear, "One night won't send you too crazy, will it?"

"I suppose not." Thea hummed.

"Did you get a hold of Jude?" Dominic asked Thea.

"Yeah, she was just finishing up taking a class and then she was gonna pick Sean up and come by." Thea nodded.

"Yeah and Cassie was at the movies with a friend so she should be here any time." AJ nodded, "Dean and Renee said they'd swing by when your home and settled with her."

"Yeah, everyone doesn't need to come rushing in right away." Thea laughed a little, "Let mama breathe for a second." She said.

Meanwhile Punk was sitting over on the chair with James sitting on his lap, sharing a bag of chips which Dominic had bought for James at the vending machine outside.

"Have you got everything you need at home? Is there anything we can get?" AJ asked.

"No, I think we have everything." Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, we're good, mom. Thank you." Thea smiled.

"Hey!" Eighteen year old Cassie appeared into the hospital room, "Sorry, I'm late." She said, "Congratulations." She smiled excitedly, hugging Dominic first and then moving onto her big sister, "I knew it was gonna be a girl. Jude owes me twenty bucks." She said.

"You were betting on my baby?" Thea raised a brow, "Why didn't I get in on that bet?" She teased as Cassie smiled, hugging her tightly.

"How are you? Healthy?" Cassie asked.

"Oh, I feel great." Thea nodded sarcastically, "We're both healthy." She assured her.

"Let me see her." Cassie smiled, wandering around the bed.

"Cassie!" James noticed his aunt.

"Hey, man." Cassie smiled, "Put it there." She put her hand up as James gave her a high five, "Who just became the best big brother ever?"

"Me!" James cheered as Punk chuckled, sitting with James beside him.

"Hell yeah." Cassie smiled, walking over to AJ who was holding Sofia, "So what's her name?"

"Sofia." Thea smiled.

"Oh… she's precious." Cassie gasped, "Oh, look at her little hands." She frowned, placing her hand on her chest.

"You wanna hold her?" AJ asked.

"Please." Cassie nodded, taking Sofia from AJ into her arms, "Hi, baby girl." She smiled, "You're so beautiful." She whispered as Thea smiled.

"I could hold her all day." AJ shook her head, walking over to Punk and James, "Can I have a chip, please?"

"Ask the boss." Punk nodded to James sitting on his lap, "Can A get a chip?"

"Yes." James nodded, giving the packet to AJ. He called his grandparents Punk and A, and always had done since he started speaking.

"Hey!" Jude appeared into the room with Sean.

"And here goes the revolving door." Punk said as AJ smiled.

"Hey." Thea smiled.

"Congratulations." Jude smiled happily, both she and Sean giving Thea and Dominic a hug, "Where is she?"

"I've got her." Cassie said.

"Let me see her." Jude said excitedly

"Hey, Jude!" James noticed his other aunt. He copied Punk by saying 'hey, Jude' whenever he saw Jude.

"Hey, buddy." Jude smiled, "Happy big brother day." She said as James smiled. He was full of energy upon seeing all of his family, and of course he loved all the attention.

"Her name is Sofia." Thea told Jude.

"Sofia." Jude placed her hand on her chest, looking on at the baby girl in Cassie's arms, "She's so beautiful." She gasped as Cassie passed her over to let her have a hold, "Hey, you." Jude smiled, looking down at Sofia, "I'm Aunt Jude. She whispered as Thea smiled, "I'm gonna be your favourite." She whispered.

"I heard that." Cassie scoffed as Jude smiled.

"She's an angel." Jude smiled, "I may or may not have screamed to my students "it's a girl" at the top of my lungs."

After graduating from college she went onto teach art classes at the institute as well as taking part in personal art projects, traveling to exhibitions around the city. It was something that made her happy, and she was all about doing things that made her happy.

"You owe me twenty bucks." Cassie added in.

"Mommy." James said, jumping down from Punk's knee.

"What, baby?" Thea smiled tiredly, almost nodding off to sleep for a second.

"Can I come up?" James asked, walking round to the side of the bed.

"Yeah, come give me a hug." Thea nodded as Dominic smiled, lifting James up onto the bed beside her as James snuggled into his mother. He was definitely a mommy's boy, and being surrounded by a ton of women, he was definitely a charming little character, "Are you tired?" Thea asked, playing with James' hair.

"No." James said, not admitting to his tiredness.

"You wanna go for a nap? Will daddy take you for your nap?" Thea asked him.

"Maybe." James said.

"Maybe." Thea smiled, repeating him softly.

"Yeah, I'll take him home for a couple hours and then we'll come back later on." Dominic said.

"Honey, we'll go to and let you get some sleep. You look exhausted." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I'm starting to feel it." Thea admitted.

"We all need a nap." James said as Thea chuckled as the rest of them smiled.

"Yeah we do." Thea agreed, kissing his head, "You go with daddy and I'll see you later on." She said, giving him a squeeze before Dominic lifted him up.

"I'll see you later." Dominic nodded, leaning over and giving Thea a kiss.

"Yeah, don't rush up, just take your time." Thea nodded.

"I could just hold her forever and ever." Jude sighed, looking on at Sofia who was sleeping so peacefully in her arms.

"She's cute." Sean nodded, "Normally all babies look kinda weird when they're first born."

"Sean, I can hear you." Thea made clear.

"I'm just saying." Sean said defensively as Thea smiled, enjoying the fear she put in him whilst she said goodbye to her parents.

"Hey, Sean… could I maybe ask you about… you know, the academy and stuff?" Cassie asked as Sean turned to her.

"Sure you can." Sean nodded as Jude smiled.

"You gonna apply?" Jude asked her.

"I think so." Cassie nodded nervously, "I wanna make my application really good, and obviously you got accepted so…"

"I'll help you." Sean promised, "No problem."

"Thank you." Cassie smiled.

Meanwhile AJ and Punk had said their goodbyes to Thea, leaving the hospital room to go home and let new baby and mom have some rest.

"Phil, she's perfect." AJ sighed, putting her coat on as they walked out of the hospital.

"I know, right?" Punk smiled, "She looks just like Thea too."

"Oh, I know. And I love the name. Little Sofia." AJ sighed, completely won over by her new granddaughter, "Little angel."

"Who keeps buzzing my ass?" Punk shook his head as AJ turned to him with confusion, "And it's not a good buzz either." He scoffed, pulling his phone out, "Dean."

"What's he saying?" AJ asked, walking out of the hospital and into the parking lot.

"Oh…" Punk paused as he read a text message from Dean.

"What? What is it?" AJ shook her head.

* * *

"Supposedly he hung himself." Dean said, standing in the graveyard over by a tree with AJ and Punk the next day.

"How'd he manage that?" Punk shook his head.

"A guard probably slipped him a rope. Fed up of his bullshit." Dean said.

"Two years in solitary confinement." AJ said, "Should have been a lifetime."

"I don't think I've ever saw a funeral with… no people." Punk shook his head, standing over by the tree whilst they watched from afar as the coffin was lowered into the ground.

"Well, no one makes friends with the devil." AJ shook her head as Dean folded his arms, leaning against the tree as he watched the coffin get lowered in the ground.

"Imagine no one showing up to your funeral." Dean shook his head, "It's sad, actually." He said.

"It is." Punk agreed.

"And it's also what he deserves." AJ turned to them both, pausing for a second as she looked at their faces. Her family. The first two people she'd met in her life that saw her. Thirty three years later and she loved them both just the same.

"What you looking at, Mendez?" Dean noticed her staring.

"Nothing." AJ smiled a little, turning back around and watching as the men lowering the coffin had disappeared, leaving the grave empty and cold.

"That's enough for me." Dean nodded to himself, "Dead and gone. Where he should be." He said, "You guys coming?" He asked, turning to his brother who was looking over at the grave. He then looked at AJ who just shook her head to him, "Ok, I'll see you guys later." He nodded, patting Punk on the back and taking off to his car.

"You ok?" AJ asked Punk.

"You mind if… if we go over?" Punk asked her.

"No, I don't mind." AJ said, walking over to the grave with him, holding his hand as they stood in front of the open grave. All the gravestone read was Rio's name, nothing else. Just his name. Not what he was to anyone, because ultimately, he wasn't anybody to anyone.

"I hope he thought of me when he did it." Punk nodded.

"Phil." AJ sighed.

"I do." Punk said.

"He's gone now." AJ said, "And he got what he deserved in the end. A cold, lonely death." AJ nodded, looking up at Punk who just nodded to himself, "He thought our love would kill each other… and his inability to love or care about anything is… what killed him." She realised.

"Yeah, he'll be burning." Punk nodded to himself, looking at the headstone, "Along with his son." He said as AJ squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"Let's go." AJ kissed his arm as he nodded, turning around and walking away from the grave. This time, he really wasn't looking back, ever.

"You think our life would be any different if he hadn't come into it?" Punk wondered, walking through the graveyard with her, holding her hand.

"No, I knew I loved you before he got involved." AJ shook her head, "I think somehow everything would have worked out the same." She said, "Because nothing is perfect, right?"

"Right." Punk nodded right away.

"I don't wanna be perfect, though." She shrugged as he smiled, turning to her. His absolute best friend, the best person he'd ever know. His everything. Always.

"You're perfect to me." Punk nodded as she smiled to him.

"It's been over thirty years, you have to say that to me." AJ scoffed.

"No, I mean it." Punk assured her as she smiled, looking up at him. Never had she felt anything less than his. Even when things weren't going their way. It was always him. It always would be.

"I love you." AJ smiled, leaning up and kissing his cheek.

"I love you too." Punk smiled.

* * *

"Hey, your mom sent me round with these. Some dinner she made for you guys. She knew you'd be too exhausted to cook." Punk said, walking into Thea's house later on that night, "Oh, hey." He noticed Jude sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey, I was just leaving." Jude said.

"I gotta go pee." Thea said tiredly, walking out of the kitchen.

"Where is Dominic?" Punk asked Jude, opening up Thea's fridge to put the food in.

"He is putting James to bed upstairs. Sofia is in her nursery." Jude smiled, "It's so sweet. All pink and girly. I love it."

"All pink and girly. Sums up my experience of parenthood." Punk nodded as Jude smiled, "How you been?"

"Good." Jude nodded as he nodded with a smile.

What happened to her hadn't left her, and by now, she knew it never would. But she had learned to accept it in some way, and deal with it in her own ways. There had been plenty of tears over the years. Just last Christmas she broke down the second she woke up. Nothing about her experience had been healed or disappeared, but she was learning to maintain it, and she certainly didn't let it define her.

"When you teaching a class next?" Punk asked.

"Monday." Jude said, "I got the weekend off." She said, putting her coat on, "Me and Sean are going into town."

"Nice." Punk smiled as she nodded. Going into town was something she still struggled with, especially when it was going into bars, but all those little goals she set herself certainly helped her strength and confidence, and with Sean's encouragement she felt like she could do anything.

"I'm going to pick a pizza up for dinner for us." Jude said, "I'm starving."

"Yeah, me too." Punk said, "I left Cassie cooking dinner. She'll probably burn the house down." He shook his head as Jude chuckled.

"Let's hope she's a better cop than she is a cook." Jude nodded as Punk smiled, "I'll see you later." She said, giving him a hug as he kissed her cheek.

"See you later, sweetie." Punk smiled, watching as she disappeared out of the kitchen and left the house, fearless, brave and unstoppable.

"I forgot how much this after part kicks your butt." Thea sighed, walking into the kitchen with Sofia in her arms, "And it doesn't help that my husband is asleep."

"He'll be tired too." Punk defended.

"I don't remember him pushing a person out of him at any point." Thea said as Punk nodded.

"Why don't I take her and you go put your head down? I'll feed her and put her down." He nodded.

"No, I can't ask you to do that-"

"Well I'm gonna." Punk nodded, already taking Sofia from her, "Go. Go get some sleep." He said as Thea smiled.

"You know how to make up a bottle, right?" Thea asked.

"I've had some experience in my time, yes." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"Ok. Thank you." Thea nodded gratefully, leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs as Punk smiled down at his granddaughter.

He made up her bottle and headed into the living room, sitting down on the couch as he began to feed her, "Yeah, Papa Punk never lost his touch, huh?" He smiled cockily as Sofia began feeding right away, "Or maybe you're just a good baby." He nodded.

He smiled as he watched her have her bottle, so tiny and precious, feeling like he was back at the start, when he'd first laid eyes on his eldest daughter, the minute he knew he had to be more than what he was. He had to be more for her and for his children to follow.

"Welcome to the family, baby girl."

* * *

**A/N: That's a wrap on this one. These three stories have been my favourite to write thus far on this site, this story in particular. Thank you all so much to those who read, reviewed and followed along. It was challenging to write but also incredibly important to me. I'll be sure to drop a new story soon, but for now I'm gonna soak this one up, because I had a blast writing it. **


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